


Oakley Redeemed

by runawaygypsy



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom, Unrelated (2007)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Redemption, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-02-20 08:19:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 86,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2421695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runawaygypsy/pseuds/runawaygypsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oakley is now in his 30s, washed up and worthless, in his own eyes, until he meets a woman who helps him cope with past mistakes and learn what love truly is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There will eventually be smut. This came from me wondering what Oakley would be like as a grown-up and my mind ultimately decided that this is what he would be like.

Oakley sat at a table in the corner of the pub, cigarette dangling from his lips, elbows rested upon the table, pint of beer untouched in front of him. He scanned the room and saw only the regulars, the bartender in his apron and dirty t-shirt that was stained with booze and pub food, the lone barmaid who matched him, the woman in the corner who had drunk away a good majority of her life over a man in her past and now hung on the words of anyone she thought she could get lucky with, the billiard jockeys showboating each other over meaningless bets and occasionally getting into fisticuffs over the results. He wasn't even sure why he was there, night after night. He didn't even like the place, but the booze was cheap and he was left alone.

When he was younger, he was the life of the party, always up to some sort of shenanigans, bedding every woman he could get his hands on. He realized all too late that slacking on his studies at Uni and concentrating on the hedonism that defined his life was detrimental both in the sense of employment and socially. Where most of his friends had either left to pursue other endeavors or had married and begin families of their own, Oakley was in this pub, currently employed as a mechanic, drinking away his meager savings because he really had nothing else to do on a Saturday night.

The bell on the door jingled, an indication that someone had entered the pub. Normally, Oakley would have ignored it, lost in his hazy alcoholic thoughts, but tonight, he looked up and saw a woman enter. She was about his age, he would guess, had blond hair that fell to her shoulders in shiny ringlets. Her skin was pale and her eyes a brilliant green, which offset the red lipstick she wore. She hopped inside, pulling the black dress she wore quickly close to her so it wouldn't get caught in the door. She glanced around furtively and spied the table next to his, which was empty. As she passed him to take a seat, he could smell her, lavender and orange. 

She settled into the uncomfortable wooden chair and raised her hand to hail the barmaid. When the overworked girl arrived at her table, Oakley heard her order. “I'd like a vodka and tonic on the rocks, big as you've got it, please.” Her voice was honey sweet, but breaking. He realized as he unabashedly observed her that she must have been crying because her eyes were rimmed with red and her nose as well.

Perhaps it was his need for companionship, or his own empathy, but he did something he hadn't done in a long time. “Hello,” he said, extending a hand towards her. “My name's Oakley. Are you new in town?”

She seemed slightly startled and somewhat put off at his directness. She looked the other way, ignoring his gesture.

Miffed, Oakley withdrew his hand and leaned back into his chair mumbling, “Fine, whatever.” He took a final drag from his cigarette and snuffed it out in the ashtray in the middle of his table, then grabbed the beer and took a gulp of it. “Nasty stuff,” he commented as he set the glass back down. He leaned his forehead on his hand and stared into the screen of the smartphone he had fished out of his pocket. 

“I'm really sorry,” a voice came from beside him. Hers. He glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. “I've just had a really bad day. Yes, I'm new here and apparently now without anywhere to stay. My name's Emily.”

Brushing oil-stained fingers through his dirty blond curls, Oakley smiled sympathetically. “I'm sorry to hear that.” He sat up more and turned to face her. “I've hit rock bottom a time or two myself.” He was sure that he looked rather haggard, his face no longer smooth and perfect like the days of his youth, but now wrinkled near his eyes, stubble of a beard that threatened to be flecked with silver growing unchecked on his jaw. But she had never met him in his youth. He was sure his looks told her more of a story than his lips ever could. “Would you care to talk about it?” Oakley was sure that, had his friends been present, they would have shit the proverbial brick. For, here he was, actually caring about someone else's life and it had no effect on his own. He patted the chair next to him and invited her over. 

She stood from her table just as the barmaid brought her drink. “Thank you,” she said as she took the glass and then handed the girl her credit card. “Can you please open a tab for me?” Once the transaction was finished, she sat down next to Oakley. “I really don't want to be a nuisance,” she began and took a sip from her glass. “You don't really want to hear my problems.”

He shook his head. “Sometimes, we all need a sympathetic ear,” he answered as he put his hand on top of hers. His eyes searched hers for a moment, but he wasn't sure what he was looking for, yet.

Emily sighed. “Alright then,” she said, “I moved to this town two weeks ago with my fiancee.” She took another sip. “I found out tonight that the only reason we moved here was because he had another woman that he was fucking and she moved here.” This time, she didn't sip. She drowned the whole drink and held the glass up for a refill. “I have no friends here, no family, and I can't go back there. I can't face him and that... that... whore.” She spat the word out like it was poison.

“What a jerk,” Oakley responded. Inside, he wondered just how many women in his past had spoken about him that way. “I'm really sorry you had to go through that.” It was really all he could say. Had she been a good friend, he might have offered to let her stay at his flat, as decrepit as it was, but he didn't know Emily, yet. “I know of a nice hotel you could stay at.” He hoped it was enough of a response.

She sniffled and wiped her nose with a tissue she produced from her handbag. “Thank you, that would be nice,” she answered quietly. When the barmaid brought her a refreshed drink, she downed that one. “I don't normally drink like this,” she shrugged, as though she needed to excuse herself to Oakley. 

“That's alright, Darling,” he said, “Sometimes, the drink is downright cathartic.” He pointed a thumb to his own warm pint. “Though, this is nowhere nearly as cathartic as those you're downing.” 

Someone else in the pub had turned on the old jukebox in the corner. It had seen better days, it's decals peeling off, initials scraped in the plexi on the front, but it still worked. It had been retrofitted to play CDs and was fairly current on music that it offered, but the patrons seemed to prefer classic rock above all else. The musical stylings of The Beatles' “Oh Bla Di, Oh Bla Dah,” carried through the room.

Oakley stood up and offered his hand to Emily once again. “Would you like to dance? It may take your mind off things for a bit.”

She smiled sadly and took his hand. As she stood up, she said, “It'll help.”

They made their way to the middle of the dancefloor, the lone couple moving to the rhythm of the music, but, as they danced, some of the other patrons got up and joined in. Before long, even the barmaid was dancing as she took orders and delivered drinks and food to her customers.

As he watched Emily dance and showed her some of his own moves, Oakley became aware that their drinks had been long forgotten. And he didn't mind. He was connecting with a part of his youth he had thought was completely lost and as a slow song began playing on the jukebox, he swept her up in his arms and held her close.

Emily gasped as he wrapped his arms around her, ready to struggle, her gut reaction was to escape, to run away from him, to avoid any contact like this, but she didn't. His embrace was warm, and as she wrapped her own arms around his shoulders and laid her head against his chest, became acutely aware that this is what was missing from her relationship with her fiancee. They had grown apart so much, she was holding onto threads of something that was no longer there. She began to weep, her salty tears soaking patterns on his blue t-shirt.

“Are you alright?” Oakley asked, leaning away from her so he could see her eyes. “I didn't do anything wrong, did I?”

Emily shook her head. “No, you did everything right. It's just... I just...” She couldn't seem to find her words. “I can't,” she whispered as she pulled herself from his arms and retreated to her table to another awaiting drink.

Dumbfounded, Oakley stood in the middle of the dance floor and watched her. He wasn't sure what exactly to do, so he shoved his hands in his pocket, retrieved another cigarette and lit it, taking a deep drag from it and closing his eyes. He knew he should have given up smoking long ago, but it calmed his nerves more than anything else could have. And he needed that now.

He wove his way through the crowd back to his spot. “I didn't mean anything,” he said coolly as he sat down. “I was just enjoying the moment.” Taking another drag of his smoke, he leered at her, his blue eyes smoldering more than the cigarette he held in his hand. “I'm sorry if you weren't.”

She laid her head down on her arms on the table. “I didn't mean it that way,” she cried, muffled. “You just made me realize something and that something scared me more than anything that has happened tonight.”

Softening once again, Oakley tamped out the remains of his smoke and placed his hand gently on her back. “What would that be?” he leaned close and whispered.

Emily jerked her head up and looked at him dead on. “That I really wasn't in love in the first place.” She wasn't sure what she had hoped for, revealing that to a total stranger, but when Oakley had no reaction to her revelation, she continued. “If I could fall into the arms of another man, whether it be desperation or some cosmic reasoning, then perhaps I wasn't in love with Josh to begin with. And that scared the hell out of me because, what was it then?” Tears began to well up in her eyes once again. “Can you tell me what it was?”

Oakley furrowed his brows and shook his head. “I won't even pretend to know what you were feeling,” he answered. “All I know is, I thought I was in love once and it ended because I wasn't man enough to admit it really wasn't love, it was convenience. Maybe that's what it was for you... or for him.” He wasn't sure why he had told her that. God, he wasn't a psychotherapist, he didn't even pretend to be one, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“You're right,” she sobbed, dabbing at her tears with another tissue. “You're right. I don't know if I loved him. He was a doctor, a pediatrician. I wanted him for his stability and I figured any man that could be in that career had to love children. My God! I can't believe I was so shallow.” She turned her attention to Oakley once again. “I've been so stupid.”

He patted her on the shoulder. “Not stupid,” he answered softly. “You may have been blinded to what your true feelings were, but never stupid.” 

She smiled weakly. “Now about that hotel...” In a normal world, she wouldn't have let an strange man take her to a hotel, she would have gotten directions, hailed a cab, made her own way there, but her world had been turned completely upside down. She felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland. “Will you show me where it is?”

Oakley was surprised and he was sure it was evident on his face. “Ummm... sure?” In the past, he would have jumped at the opportunity, hoping that it would turn into an opportunity to bed the woman he had escorted, taken advantage of the position he was in. Now, he was wary. “Are you sure you're alright with that? I can call you a cab.”

Emily composed her self and sat upright. She reached out and grabbed the collar of Oakley's shirt and pulled him towards her, kissing him passionately as he sat there aghast. “I am sure of what I want now,” she answered.


	2. Chapter 2

Oakley obliged her, the kiss stirring more than happy thoughts. “If you're sure...” He was still hesitating, not wanting it to seem like he was taking advantage of the situation.

“I'm positive.” Emily let go of him and stood up. “I just need to take care of my tab first.” She realized as she made her way to the bar that she was more inebriated than she thought, her steps unsure as she hobbled on her heels. She hailed the bartender and asked to get her check and her card and when she was finished, she turned around. She glanced at where she had been sitting, expecting to see Oakley, but he was no longer there. Just when a brief flash of panic began to overtake her, he appeared at her side. “Oh, thank God, I thought you'd left,” she blurted.

He grasped her elbow. “Not at all,” he answered as he steadied her. They walked out the door of the pub and into the chilly night air. Emily shivered and Oakley wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Don't worry, hotel's about a block from here,” he reassured.

“I should have known better than to not have a jacket with me in October,” she said between chattering teeth. 

Oakley kissed her temple. “My dear, there are a good many things you could have forgotten, the least of which is your jacket.” He chuckled as she scowled at him.

“Like what?” she asked. Her heel caught in a crack in the sidewalk and she was nearly hurled at him. He caught her by pinning her up against the wall of the building they were passing. “Ow!” she exclaimed as her almost-bare back scraped against the brick.

“I'm so sorry,” he gushed, horrified. “I was trying to stop you from falling.” His arms were bracketing her arms, his body pressed against her. Their eyes met and locked. “Are you alright?”

Emily responded with another kiss, but this time, it was reciprocated. Oakley's jaw set and his hand grasped the side of her face as he leaned close, his lips upon hers hungrily. He opened his mouth and nudged hers open with his tongue, caressing her lips, flicking his tongue across the end of hers. 

She moaned, her arms reaching around him, grasping his ass and pulling him into her. She could feel him harden as she pressed into him and she began imagining all she would do to him. “We should get to the hotel,” she heard him whisper gruffly.

“Alright,” she sighed as he pulled himself away from her. She let him grasp her hand and lead her down the darkened street, helping her keep her balance when the world began to spin once again. 

They arrived at a large brownstone building that had white trim around the door and windows. It had an old charm, but once they climbed the stairs and stepped inside, was entirely modern. “Can I help you?” the woman at the desk asked as they approached.

“I'd like a room,” Emily said, setting her purse on the counter. 

Smiling, the woman answered, “Absolutely! Will you be needing a Queen or King?”

Emily glanced back at Oakley, hesitated, then answered, “King.” 

Oakley had his hand rested on the small of her back and she felt him flinch. She wondered if she had assumed wrong. His actions, his demeanor, everything indicated that he wanted her, but was she reading him right? She looked back at him and he was staring out the window, deep in his own thoughts. 

When the woman handed her the key, Emily moved towards the elevator, but Oakley stood where he was. “Will you walk me up to my room?” she asked.

His attention snapped back to her. “Uh, yeah, I guess I can.” He shuffled towards her and followed her into the elevator. “I don't want to be out too long, though,” he said as the elevator doors closed.

Emily leaned back against the rear wall and pulled Oakley to her. “How late is too late?” she whispered. 

He chuckled. “Hell, it is Saturday, it's not like I have work in the morning, now, is it?” He leaned in and wrapped his arms around her and inhaled the sweet fragrance of her hair. Emily let go of his shirt and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing his chest, slowly moving up towards his neck. He moaned as her lips found skin and brushed across his Adam's apple. Leaning down, he began kissing her, first finding her ear and nibbling on the lobe, then down to the side of her neck. She turned her head and their lips met with a hum of appreciation. 

The elevator doors opened and, still kissing, they pulled each other into the hallway. “Which room?” Oakley asked.

Emily looked at her card key. “407.” She turned around in his arms and led him down the corridor until they found the room. She swiped the card key over the sensor on the door and pulled down the handle, opening the door to a darkened room. The stale air of the closed-in room wound around them like mist. “Let me open a window,” she said as Oakley reached past her and flicked the light switch on the wall.

He nodded. “I've got to use the loo, if you'll excuse me.” He disappeared into the doorway that was to the right of the one they'd just come through.

Emily opened a window on the far side of the room and then sat down on the bed and kicked off her heels. She flopped backwards and spread her arms out like wings on the duvet. As her eyes danced around the room, she spied the mini refrigerator in the corner and got up to investigate. I know I shouldn't, she thought as she opened it and saw the mini-bar, but what the hell. She cracked open first one, then two of the small plastic bottles and downed them. Feeling pleasantly buzzed from her vodka tonics at the pub, the liquor quickly warmed her center and added to the inebriated smile that spread across her lips.

Oakley emerged from the bathroom and saw her as she downed the second bottle. “You probably shouldn't be drinking more,” he warned.

“Ah, loosen up,” she chided. “Now come here.” She patted the bed next to her and he sat down. 

He was concerned. “Are you alright?” 

She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I'm fine,” she answered. “Just having a little more fun, now.” She wrapped her arms around him again and began licking his ear lobe.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Listen, Emily, you're a great girl and all, but I don't want to take advantage of you. You've been drinking.” When he was younger, he'd never have thought those words would have come out of his mouth. He would have gone completely along with it, hell he had run into nearly these same circumstances before and not even batted an eye at it. All that ended with Dina. As her face crashed into his mind, he backed away from Emily. “I'm sorry, Emily.”

Confused, Emily let go of him. “But...” she tumbled over her words, “But I thought we had something between us.” 

“We very well could,” he said, “But I don't want to be the man that you sleep with in a drunken haze and regret in the morning. That's not me... anymore.”

“Will you at least stay with me? Hold me?” Her drunk, chipper demeanor fell. A tear threatened to squeeze from her eye.

Oakley sighed. “At least until you fall asleep. Maybe we can watch a movie?”

“I'd like that.” Emily scooted up on the bed and climbed under the covers. Oakley joined her, but stayed above the blankets, fully clothed. He grabbed the remote for the television from the nightstand and turned it on. As he looked for something they both would enjoy, he wrapped his arm around her. 

She snuggled into him, laying her head on his chest. “This is nice,” she said quietly.

“Yeah.” He settled back into the stack of pillows and leaned his head against the headboard.

At the first commercial, Emily turned to him. “Oakley?”

He opened his eyes, not realizing at first that he had fallen asleep watching TV. “Mmm hmm?” he answered groggily.

“Back there, you hesitated... and before, you said you didn't want to take advantage of me...” her voice trailed off.

He wasn't sure where exactly she was going with her line of questioning. “Yes?”

“Why are you such a nice guy? I only ever seem to meet assholes.”

Oakley mulled her question over for a moment, but, by the time he turned to answer her, she was asleep against his arm. “That's a story for another day,” he whispered as he kissed the crown of her head, turned the TV off and fell asleep himself.

*

Oakley woke with a start. For a moment, he forgot where he was. Sun streamed through a crack in the curtains and he watched as dust motes swirled around in the beams. He glanced over to his right, his arm still pinned under Emily as she slept. He tried to pull it from under her without her waking up, but the moment he moved, her eyes snapped open. “Hello, sleepy head,” he smiled as she focused on him.

“What? Who are you? Did we?” were the first things out of her mouth. Her eyebrows bent in concern and her lips puckered in near anger.

He held his hands up. “Nothing happened, we're still clothed!” he answered quickly. “You don't remember last night?”

She rubbed her head. “No, and I've got the worst headache.” Sitting up, she stretched and gazed around the room. “Are we in a hotel? Oh, God! I've got to call Josh.” As she reached for her purse and grabbed out her cell phone, her determination fell. “Wait...”

Oakley placed a concerned hand on her shoulder. “Do you remember now?” he asked quietly.

When Emily turned to face him, her face was drained of color, save the red that rimmed her eyes and nose. “Yeah, Josh... he...” She swallowed like a lump had formed in her throat. Her eyes flicked up to Oakley's. “Oh, God, I'm so sorry,” she cried, tears spilling out in a sudden torrent. “I didn't mean to drag you into this. You poor man, I bet you think I'm crazy, or I'm a drunk. I'm so sorry.”

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him. “No, a drunk would be able to handle alcohol much better,” he joked, trying to lighten the situation. “I'm here as a friend. Because you asked me.” He let her cry on his shoulder, feeling her body wracked with tears until they subsided. When she was done, he handed her a tissue from the box on the nightstand. “Feel better?”

Emily nodded. “Yeah.” She took a deep breath and leaned away from him. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “It's nothing.” She made him wonder if any of his old girlfriends had cried over him like that, not that he would have cared at the time. 

“No it's not.” Emily reached up and grasped his face in her hands. “You didn't take advantage of me last night when you could very easily have.” She kissed his cheek.

“I'm not that guy,” he answered. He kissed her cheek back.

Emily kissed him again, this time on the lips, softly. “I'm not drunk now,” she whispered. 

Oakley's eyes widened. “No, you're not.” He pulled her closer to him and kissed her passionately, lips crashing into one another, tongues dancing. Inhibitions began to melt away as they took each other in, sighing together.

When they took a breath, she guided Oakley's hand to the zipper on the back of her dress. He pulled it down and the dress fell from her shoulders revealing her soft shoulders and bare, supple breasts. He moaned in appreciation and took one of her breasts in his hand, guided it to his mouth and began flicking his tongue over her nipple, inciting it to hardness. 

Emily's hand slid down to his jeans and caressed the hardness that was growing there, feeling as it pressed more and more against the denim. She fumbled with the button and the zipper, finally getting them undone once he leaned his leg away from her. 

“Are you sure you want this?” He asked as he switched breasts.

Emily groaned as she reached in and grasped his manhood, circling it with her fingers. “Yes, Oakley, I want you,” she managed to say. 

He stopped kissing her long enough to pull her dress off her and peel the blankets from her. She had already kicked her panties off sometime in the night, so she was bare, her body already covered with a sheen of sweat. He ran his fingers down her sides to her knees, then up the insides of her thighs, making her shiver. Her sex was already beaded with moisture and he smiled seductively as he delved one lithe finger into her slit, letting it run lightly over her clit. She moaned and her hips rose up for him. He danced around her nub with his finger before plunging in into her depths. She gasped when he crooked it and slowly ran it up and down inside her. He moved in between her legs and leaned down, his face hovering for a moment over her sex before he immersed his tongue into her, letting her coat him with her sweet nectar. His tongue flicked over her clit, circling it, pushing against it.

Emily reached down and grasped his curls, used them to hold him steady as her hips bucked towards him. Her breath was hitched and her voice ragged as she moaned, her back arching, her hands seeking her own breasts and squeezing them in tandem with each nibble. “OH, God...” she groaned, feeling the heat rise from her core. As her climax began, she pulled him away from her.

Confused, he rested on his elbows. “What was that for? I thought you were enjoying it.”

Her eyes were heavily lidded, her pupils dilated nearly as much as his. “I want you to fuck me good and proper,” she commanded, a seductive smile crawling its way across her lips.

Oakley scooted off the bed and peeled his t-shirt of, revealing his well-toned abs and muscular arms. His undone jeans fell to the floor, revealing that not only was he going commando, but that he was particularly well-endowed as his cock stood at attention against his belly. He smiled when Emily gasped. “I take it you like what you see?” he asked with a sly smile as he ran his fingers through his curls.

Emily nodded her head and licked her lips. She patted the bed between her legs. “Better than I imagined,” she hissed as he climbed back on the bed. She had been so enamored with his cock that she failed to notice the small package in his hand until he handed it to her.

“Do you care to do the honors?” he asked as she realized that he had handed her a condom. 

A naughty glint appeared in her eye. “Sure,” she answered. She ripped the foil and pulled the rubber out, placing on the tip of his cock as he sat on his knees on the bed. “Do you care how I do it?”

“Not at all.” He groaned as she began to unroll it with her fingers, then moaned as she continued the process with her mouth, filling herself with him. “Ohhhh, wow, I can't say I've ever had anyone do it that way.” 

She finished unrolling it with her fingers and leaned back on the bed. “I've learned a few things,” she shrugged.

“So have I,” he growled as he hovered over her, positioning his tip at her entrance. He kissed her neck lightly for a moment, concentrating on the area just above her collarbone, flitters of his lips tickling her before he lunged for her mouth, filling her at the same time with the entirety of his cock. 

Emily keened, every sound she made being absorbed by his mouth as he pulled out, barely staying sheathed and plunging into her depths once again. His hands slid under her, grasping her ass as he rested the entirety of his weight on her mound. She wasn't sure if he was thrusting inside her or pulling her around him. He was keeping her filled, impaled upon him at both ends and it sent an electric shock through her. She arched her back, her hips pumping against him, feeling his hands as her muscles flexed against them, feeling his kisses as they migrated from her lips to her neck to her breasts and back again. It was enough to push her over the edge. Her mind went numb. She was kinetic energy, her body writhing and spasming with every muscle, every fiber of her being. “Oh fuck,” she moaned against his neck. “Fuck. Oakley!”

He moaned against her, feeling her walls as they milked his cock, trying to stave off his own orgasm in order to give her his all. “Cum for me,” he whispered fiercely. She was awash in ecstasy, one wave ebbing when he rolled over, pulling her with him, positioning her on top of him. “Ride me, baby.”

Emily smiled. The change incited another wave to begin rolling towards her and she circled her hips, wriggling against him, hands on his chest. Oakley slid one hand between them and found her nub with his thumb. He began massaging it, feeling it harden again under his touch. 

Heat shot through Emily from her sex to every extremity. She leaned back and stuck her hands behind her, feeling the soft skin on his inner thighs. As she was overcome once again by absolute pleasure, her fingers found the soft spot between his legs and she began to rub lightly. Oakley growled in appreciation. “Aw fuck, yeah,” she heard him gasp. As the paroxysm of bliss began to overtake her once again, she felt him twitch inside her.

Oakley's free hand grasped her hip firmly and pulled her down on him even more. He felt her walls close around him once again and this time, there was no stopping his own momentum. He thrust into her hard, his own moans mixing with her cries of gratification until they were both spent and she had collapsed on top of him, gasping for breath. 

He found her chin and lifted it towards him. He kissed her and rolled, spilling her to the side and pulling himself from her with a wet thwack. “How could anyone let you get way?” he said softly.

Emily smiled at him. “I was thinking the same thing about you,” she answered.


	3. Chapter 3

They lazed in the bed for a while, not sure if they should go for a second round, until Oakley's stomach rumbled. “I think I've awakened something,” he joked as she gasped, wide-eyed at the volume of it.

“God, I guess!” she exclaimed. “I would guess we need to feed it.”

Oakley laughed and wrapped his arm around her, leaning down to kiss her stomach. “And how about yours?” As he leaned an ear against her, her stomach rumbled as well.

“I think that's a yes,” she giggled. “I guess that means we should get out of bed.”

He let go of her and swung his legs over the side of the bed, stretching his arms to the ceiling. Emily climbed up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She gave him a peck on the cheek before bouncing off the bed. “How did you get so much energy?” he asked jokingly.

She grinned. “You give it to me.” She was about to invite him into the shower when she realized that neither of them had clean clothes, only the ones that they wore the night before that smelled of cigarette smoke and pub food. She immediately sat back down on the bed and grumbled, “I have no clothes. That means I have to go back to my flat and face Josh.” Her demeanor went from the bubbly, vivacious girl she was just a moment before to a troubled, darkened spirit. 

Oakley stood up and moved so he was in front of her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he looked into her eyes and said, seriously, “I'll go with you, if you'd like.”

Emily shook her head. “No,” she said softly. “No, if you do, it'll just give him a reason to be even more of an asshole. Hell, he's already probably had the locks changed just to spite me.”

Concerned, Oakley kissed her forehead. “Well, you've got to have someone go with you. I can't let you do this alone.”

She looked up at him, taking in his blue, soulful eyes. “I have to.” She shook his hands from her, stood up and began hunting for her clothes around the bed.

Oakley grabbed his pants and pulled them on. “Tell you what, I have a car parked by the pub. I'll drive you there and stay in the car. You can tell him I'm a friend.” 

“I don't know anyone in this godforsaken town.” She shook her head and pulled her dress over it. “He knows that.”

“Couldn't you tell him you met me at work?” He slid his shoes on and threw his t-shirt over his shoulder. 

She was reaching behind her to zip up her dress, but she was struggling, so Oakley grabbed the pull and slid it up easily. “I could...” she said, her voice trailing off. “That's actually good. We can go with that.”

“So, you'll let me take you?” He shoved his watch and cell phone in his pocket and looked at her expectantly.

“Yes, but you have to stay in the car.” She put her feet in her heels and grabbed her purse. As she came to stand next to Oakley, she mussed his hair and kissed him softly. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he answered with a shy grin. “We'll get breakfast on the way.”

They checked her out of the hotel and walked back to the pub to retrieve Oakley's car and grab some coffee and scones from the coffee shop across the street. Emily wasn't sure which car parked on the street was his until he opened the door to a bright red Alfa Romeo and helped her in, reaching in to clear some of the coffee cups from the passenger seat before she sat down. “Sorry, long days at the garage,” he apologized. The car looked like it had seen better days, the paint was faded just enough that there were darker spots in areas where the sun didn't hit, the upholstery was frayed and slightly ripped in places, and the carpet was stained. He made sure Emily was comfortable and then got in on the drivers' side. “I hope you don't mind,” he said, “She's from 1985. I'm fixing her up.” Emily nodded and he smiled at her. Before long, they were speeding down the road.

As they drove, Emily asked, “So, why are you such a nice guy?”

Oakley nearly choked on his scone at the question. He set it down on the console in between them and took a gulp of the scalding hot coffee, burning his tongue in the process, before he answered. “I wasn't always like this,” he said solemnly, keeping his eyes on the road. “In fact, you're the first woman I've been with in well over a year.”

“Really?” She seemed astonished. “I'd have thought, well, a man as good-looking as you would have no problems.”

He shook his head. “That's not why.” He glanced over to her, his eyes relaying the seriousness of his words. “I used to use women. I played with them, got what I wanted and didn't care what happened after I left them.”

“You sound like you were a real charmer,” she interrupted sarcastically. “What happened?”

He sighed. “I met Dina.” Oakley was content to leave it at that, for the time being.

“And?” Emily dug further, trying to see what she could discern from this man who had suddenly become an enigma to her.

Shaking his head, Oakley answered, “I don't really want to go there right now. You might decide you want nothing to do with me and insist I leave you stranded here on the road. That wouldn't do.” He gave her a weak smile. “Now, how far is this place?”

Emily stared at him for a moment, almost hoping the intensity of her gaze would unlock something in him, that he would tell her his whole story, but it didn't work. “You go two miles up and turn right. It's the third building on the left.”

He nodded, but drove the rest of the way in silence, his fingers clutching the steering wheel with white knuckles. When they arrived, he got out and opened her door, helped her from the car and gave her a friendly hug before watching her cross the street and disappear into the white washed building. A frew minutes had passed with Oakley leaning against the car's fender, picking pieces of peeling paint from the edges around the hood before he decided he should get back in the car. He watched the building intently while he got back inside, ready to rush in if Emily needed him. But there was nothing. 

Just as he opened the car's door, he heard a shriek that pierced the air. It sounded like Emily, but he wasn't sure. It made his blood run cold and it stopped him in his tracks. His younger self would have ignored the distress in the tone, but now, he slammed the door shut and sprinted across the street in the direction that the scream had come from. As he approached the building, he paused a moment, listening to see if he could hear anything else that would give him a clue as to where to go. For a second, there was nothing, and then the cacophony of an argument from an upstairs flat. “Emily, are you alright?” he called, not even sure if his voice would be heard amidst the noise. 

“Oakley!” she yelled back from an open window. She was pulled away and he heard her cry, “Josh, please!”

It was enough to tell him where he needed to go. He climbed the stairs two at a time and reached the landing. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. From inside, he could hear Emily's frantic voice, along with that of a man, presumably Josh. Gauging the weak spot in the lock, he squared himself up and kicked in the door. As it slammed against the wall, he saw Emily, face stained with tears, struggling to get away from a bear of a man who had her pinned in a corner. Startled, they both looked over when the door opened, but it was not enough that she could get away. “Who the fuck are you?” the man growled.

Trying his best to not make the situation any worse for Emily, Oakley calmly held his hands up. “I was just driving by and I heard a scream. I'm here to help. Now, let the girl go.”

Emily's eyes pleaded with him as he said it and she mouthed, “Thank you.”

“Well,” the burly man said, “This is my girlfriend and this is a private matter.” He grabbed her by the nape of her neck and swung her into the center of the room. She had barely enough time to gain her balance again before he was upon her, swinging his fists at her and pummeling her back. “Now, tell him to go away, you fucking whore.”

A violent heat rose up in Oakley. He had been bad to women, even disrespectful in his past, but he had never been like this monster. He had respected them far more than to be abusive this way. As the man's hand rose up again, Oakley caught it. In an adrenaline-fueled rage, he bent the man's arm backward and forced him away from Emily. “Fuck you, Josh,” Emily screamed before bracing herself and kicking Josh in the crotch.

Josh doubled over and Oakley gave him a right hook to the jaw, taking him down to the floor. “Do you have what you need?” he asked Emily.

She grabbed a suitcase from the corner and nodded. “Yeah. I don't need anything else here.” She grasped Oakley's hand and followed him out of the flat. She was out of breath, her throat raw from her ordeal and she winced as Oakley put his arm around her to help navigate the stairs. “Thank you,” she repeated. “You didn't have to do that.”

As Oakley helped her into the car, he leaned in, kissed her gently and said, “Yes, I did.” He got into the car and closed the door just as Josh came raring out of the building. He reached across and locked Emily's door, then his own and turned the car on, gunning the engine and speeding away before they were accosted. “That was close,” he remarked as he glanced in the rear view mirror. Josh had gotten close enough he barely missed grabbing the car's bumper. 

When they were a good distance away, he pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned it off. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” he asked, his attention turned completely toward Emily. 

Her eyes were still rimmed red and she sniffled as she drew a deep breath. “I just went in to grab my things and I thought he wasn't home,” she said. “But as soon as I got my suitcase filled, he was behind me. He must have been drinking, because the smell of scotch was really bad. I told him I was leaving and to have fun with Vicki, that was her name, the girl he followed here. I don't know...” she stopped for a moment, as though the scene was not something she could recall. “He grabbed me by the throat and started yelling that she had left him and that he wouldn't let me leave him.” Judging by the shake in her voice, she was once again on the verge of tears.

Emily began shivering and Oakley wrapped his arm around her. He leaned close, his mouth by her ear, his nose nested in her hair. “Shhhh. It's alright now,” he cooed. “I'll keep you safe.”

“Do you really mean that?” she leaned into him and closed her eyes. “You're not just saying that, are you?”

He gently grasped her chin and pulled her face towards him. Her eyes fluttered open. “Why would I lie?” He leaned closer and softly brushed his lips across hers. “Now, let's get you home.”

“Home,” she chuckled. “Now there's a word. I don't feel like anywhere is home, anymore.”

“Well,” Oakley shrugged, “I don't know how well you'll like it, but you're welcome at my flat.”

Emily smiled. “Do you mean it?” 

“If you want to,” he answered. He turned the car back on and grasped her hand as they drove back to his flat in silence. Deep down, he was afraid of bringing her back, to open up an old wound that had never really healed properly, but the optimist in him quickly snuffed out the doubt. Emily was most certainly not Dina. She wasn't even close.

They arrived at Oakley's flat in the afternoon, just as the autumn sun was dipping below the low evening clouds. He grabbed her suitcase out of the back and led her to the one bedroom flat he rented. It was in the bottom level of a row house that had been converted to a quad-plex, two flats up, two down. His was behind the stairs. As he unlocked the door and swung it open, he heaved her suitcase in and parked it next to a low bookshelf. “Welcome to the Grand Hyatt,” he announced, giving her a big, goofy grin.

Emily stepped in. It smelled like him, a curious combination of cigarettes, motor oil and spicy cologne.   
“It's not as bad as you made it out to be,” she remarked as she took in her surroundings. The wood floor was faded and badly in need of a good waxing, the throw rugs that were scattered hither and yon were frayed, the walls were bare, with the exception of a gasoline company calendar that had scantily clad women leaning over cars in provocative positions, and his lone couch and coffee table looked like they were not second-hand, but rather third or fourth. 

“You're too kind.” He had forgotten about her bruises until he wrapped his arms around her and she winced. “Let's get a look at those bruises,” he said, carefully helping her to the sofa and unzipping her dress. It revealed a swath of purple blotches across her back. “Oh,” he exclaimed, taken aback, “These are bad. We should take you to a doctor.”

She shook her head. “No, they don't hurt that badly.”

“At least let me get you some pain medication.” He stood and went into the bathroom. He'd had some leftover pain pills from when he'd had a wisdom tooth removed and he rifled through the drawer to find them. When he had them in his hand, he returned to the living room. Emily had taken her dress off, kicked off her shoes, curled up in the threadbare throw blanket he kept on the back of the sofa, and had fallen asleep. He grabbed another, thicker blanket from the coat closet and covered her with it, kissing her temple gently. “Goodnight, darling.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no smut in this one. But the plot thickens and there's lots of feels...

Emily woke with a start. Her eyes flew open and she frantically looked around, forgetting where she was, concerned with the dingy, mostly bare walls, the threadbare sofa that she was lying on, the single window. As she sat up, she glanced down at the form curled up in a blanket on the floor next to her and she remembered. Oakley. Suddenly her ribs hurt and, as she turned to put her feet on the floor, she winced. Her foot lightly grazed his elbow and he began to stir. He rolled onto his back and stretched. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I just needed to get up.”

He opened his eyes and focused on her. “It's alright,”he answered groggily. “What time is it?” To answer his own question, he reached up and grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table. “Eight,” he announced, then chuckled, “I actually slept in.”

She stood up and a bolt of pain shot from her side down into her leg. Her face gathered in a pucker of pain. “I may have not hurt yesterday, but I'm feeling it today.”

Oakley shot to his feet and was immediately by her side, his hands supporting her elbows. “We really should get you to doctor and file a report with the police.”

“No,” she replied sharply. “I'm done with it. I want nothing to do with Josh. He can rot in Hell, for all I care.” She took a step away from him and wavered, overcome by dizziness.

He caught her mid-fall. “Put your arms around my neck,” he instructed. As she did what she was told, he reached down and gathered her legs, knees in the crook of his arm. “I'm guessing you needed to use the loo?” he grunted as he adjusted to her weight. Emily nodded and he carried her in, setting her gently down on the floor on her feet. 

“Oakley?” she asked. He stopped in the doorway. “Can you get me my purse?” He nodded, went to the pile of her bags and retrieved it. 

“Let me know when you need me again,” he said quietly. “Then we're going to the hospital.” He closed the door quietly behind him.

While he waited, Oakley grabbed a pair of jeans and some trainers from his room and put them on. He leaned against the wall and waited until he heard her call, “I'm ready.” Opening the door, he saw that she had propped herself up on the sink and was staring in the mirror at the fingerprint-sized bruises that ringed her neck. 

“How could anyone be so cruel?” she asked, a single tear rolling down her cheek. 

He gently wrapped an arm around her waist, mindful of her injuries. “You'd be surprised,” he said. “Now, I'm taking you to the hospital.”

Emily knew there was no arguing with him and she nodded weakly. “Can I at least put some shoes on?” She was still dressed from the night before.

“You can borrow a pair of my slippers,” he answered, kicking a pair towards her from the doorway. 

She looked doubtful. “Those might be a tad too large for my feet.”

“Better than too small,” he quipped. “Besides, you're not going to be doing much walking in them.” He leaned down and helped slide them on her feet. When he had stood back up, he gave her a kiss on her temple. “There. Better?” Emily nodded and he smiled at her. 

Together, they made their way slowly to his car, his arm around her, steadying her, Emily hobbling as best as she could in the oversized footwear. Oakley opened up the passenger door while she held onto the hood, then helped her scoot into the passenger seat. He could tell the pain was getting the best of her with each pained gasp. “Thank you,” she said once she was settled in.

Oakley got into his side of the car and started it. “You're welcome,” he answered. “Are you always this bad at taking care of yourself?” He meant it sarcastically, but Emily took it the wrong way.

As he tried to reach over and touch her hand on the center console, she pulled it away from him. Angrily, she said, “Well, I'm not quite a damsel in distress, if that's what you're asking and you're not exactly a knight in shining armor.” In a huff, she leaned her head back against the seat and groaned as the car lurched forward and another bolt of pain shot through her. “Take it easy.”

“I know you're hurting,” Oakley said, “And I'm just trying to be sympathetic and lighten the mood, but it's not my fault you're hurt.” He didn't look at her, choosing instead to grip the steering wheel and concentrate on the road ahead.

She closed her eyes and her expression hardened. “Are those your true colors?” she asked. “If I didn't need you, I would walk there myself. I knew you were too good to be true.” 

“Sorry you think I'm an asshole,” he grumbled. “I didn't mean it that way.” Emily didn't answer and they spent the remainder of the trip in silence, willfully avoiding each other, even though they both inhabited the same contained space. 

Once they reached the hospital, he parked the car near the emergency room and went inside to get an attendant. Emily stayed in the car, breathing slowly, trying to will away the pain. Oakley returned with a nurse wheeling a wheelchair. He opened the door and the nurse reached in to help Emily out. “My name's Jack,” he introduced as he carefully maneuvered her into the seat.

“Nice to meet you, Jack,” she answered as she breathed out. “I'm Emily.”

As Jack wheeled her from the drive towards the hospital doors, he said, “You sure have a great boyfriend there. Not many men would rush into a situation like that.”

The last thing Oakley heard before he got into the car to move it was Emily respond, “He's not my boyfriend. He's just a friend.”

As he revved the engine and pulled towards the hospital parking garage, a fire burned in his heart and he considered pulling away, leaving her there, finding a pub and drowning his sorrows there. He would have done that, had it been ten years earlier, and had no compunction about doing so, but now, it was a different story. He found a spot in visitor parking that was fairly close to the entrance and turned the car off. The garage was silent and he reveled in it for a while, his head leaned against the steering wheel, his breath heavy, his heart feeling like it would be ripped out of his chest if he sat upright. He glanced into the passenger side and saw that she had kicked the slippers off and left them on the floorboards. With an empty sigh, he thought about his past. Was this what it had felt like for the girls he'd been with before, when he'd left them? He hadn't given much thought to it before. 

He leaned back into his seat, contemplating whether he should get out of the car yet, what he should do. Emily had made it clear that she didn't want him there, but he realized that he was all she had here. He didn't want to abandon her. Nobody deserved that, especially not her, after the ordeal she had just been through. In resignation, he opened the car door and got out, slamming it behind him and hearing it echo through the concrete structure of the garage. He made his way to the entrance and, as he entered the lobby, he didn't see Emily.

Stepping up to the counter, he asked the receptionist about her. “There was a woman named Emily that was just admitted. She has blond hair and green eyes, gorgeous, had bruises everywhere. Jack just brought her in. Where is she?”

The receptionist looked at him with a doubtful eye. “Are you related to her?” When Oakley shook his head, she responded, “She's been seen by a doctor, but I can't give you any more information than that.” 

“What can I do, then?” he asked.

She pointed to the waiting room. “You can wait over there until she wants to see you, if you'd like, but I don't know how long it's going to be.”

He looked at the waiting room. There were a few seats taken, mostly by concerned family members of other patients, waiting to hear about their loved ones. He nodded as he walked over to one of the few open chairs that was next to a bank of windows. Most people avoided eye contact with him, preferring to stare at the screens of their smart phones or bury their noses in one of the many outdated magazines that graced the side tables. There were a couple small children sitting in front of the television in the corner watching a Disney movie, and a couple more playing with some blocks in the nook next to it. One of them approached him as he watched them and handed him a block. He smiled sadly at her and nodded. “Thank you,” he said quietly as he held it up appreciatively. She grinned back at him as she went back to her toys. 

His heart ached, but he wasn't sure if it was because of Emily, or the innocence of the child. It wasn't until then that he realized how much his experience with Dina had fucked him up emotionally. She made it hard for him to gauge just how he really felt and what was real versus some incomprehensibly fake emotion. He shook his head and took a deep breath. He felt helpless. 

Another nurse came into the lobby and summoned the mother of the girl who had given him the block and instructed them on how to get to their loved one and, as she passed by him, the little girl waved at him. It made Oakley smile, but the minute she was gone, he felt the searing pain of loss once again. He dug his phone out of his pocket and stared at it a moment before swiping his finger across the screen and tapping the phone book icon. Dina's number was still there, accompanied by her smiling face. He thought about calling her, but his better judgment took over and he turned the screen off instead. He couldn't deal with her as well.

An hour went by and the cast of people in the waiting room changed. It was relatively quiet, save the occasional whine of sirens as an ambulance pulled into the emergency bay and Oakley sat deep in thought. He pulled out his wallet and flipped it open to a photo, touching the faces in it gently. “Is that who you're waiting for?” a woman seated next to him asked when she saw the tender look on his face.

He quickly flipped it closed. “No,” he stammered, “It's not, no.” His face grew red with the heat of embarrassment and he felt like he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to, even though he wasn't.

The woman smiled knowingly. “That's alright,” she said soothingly. “I understand. We all have regrets.” She turned her attention away from him.

Oakley stood up and walked back to the check-in counter. “Is there any news yet?” he asked the receptionist. “Anything you can tell me?”

The receptionist narrowed her eyes at him. “Emily, right?” When he nodded, she said, “She's been admitted and is in Room 541.”

With a sigh of relief, Oakley said, “Thanks!” as he sprinted away. With renewed vigor, he stopped at the gift shop and bought her some bright purple and gold chrysanthemums in a pot and headed toward the elevator. He felt lighter as he pressed the button and the car ascended to the 5th floor. Once it stopped, he stepped off and made a beeline for the nurses' station. “Room 541, please,” he said pleasantly to the rotund nurse who stood there.

She stopped writing on the clipboard she held in her hand. “Room 541?” she asked blankly. Oakley nodded in confirmation. “Um, room 541 is down the hall to the left,” she answered, “But the doctor is in there with her now, you may want to wait a bit.”

“I've already waited too long,” he said as he scowled. Turning away from her, he made his way down the corridor. He read the numbers on the doors, stopping when he reached the correct room. Her name was typed on a label underneath it. “Emily Hall.” There were voices coming from inside, so he knocked lightly on the door frame. “It's Oakley, do you mind if I come in?”

“Can you please wait?” Emily's thin voice carried to his ears. 

The door swung open and a burly doctor with thinning hair and a ruddy beard was on the other side. He stepped through and closed the door behind him. “Is Emily alright?” Oakley asked, trying to mask his sudden concern.

The doctor shook his head. “I'm so sorry, sir,” he said, his eyes conveying his pity as he looked upon Oakley. “I'm afraid she lost the baby.”

Oakley leaned against the wall. “Baby?” He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. His hands were not his own and he dropped the flowers, the pot shattering on the floor in an explosion of decorative ceramic, plastic and potting soil. He looked at the doctor incredulously. “Baby?”

Putting his hand on Oakley's shoulder, the doctor repeated, “I'm sorry. Perhaps you should speak with your girlfriend.” He left Oakley in search of an orderly to clean up the mess.

Pushing the door open, Oakley tried hard to breathe. He could see her form on the bed, outlined by the thin veneer of a hospital blanket. Her head was against the pillow with her hair spread out across it, her eyes rimmed red and staring at the ceiling, one arm exposed and attached to an intravenous line. “I'm sorry,” she said tearfully. She had heard him enter. 

He tried to be angry with her, but he couldn't be. He was immediately kneeling by her side grasping her hand. “Why didn't you tell me?” he asked quietly. “I mean, I know it wasn't mine, but still...”

She turned to face him and her eyes moved over his face. “I didn't know until today.” 

“How could you not know?” He was unsure how to react, following no decorum, operating from gut instinct.

Taking a deep breath, she answered, “I thought it was stress. Because of all the bullshit with moving and finding a new job... and with Josh.”

“How long?” He ran his free hand through his hair and leaned his elbow on the bed next to her.

“Three months.” She turned away from him and looked out the window. “I understand if you want nothing more to do with me.”

Oakley kissed the back of her hand and whispered, “Oh, my darling, no.” He let go of her hand and walked around the bed, into her field of vision. “I'll stay with you. I mean, if you're alright with me being an asshole and all.” 

Emily smiled weakly and managed a small chuckle. “I think I can live with that.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angst... sorry for the Oakley torture, but Karma's a bitch.

Oakley busied himself while Emily recovered in the hospital. He went back to work the next day and promptly put in a vacation request, much to the surprise of his boss, since he had never asked for a day off in the three years he'd been working there. “Is everything alright?” his boss asked, concern lining his aging face.

“Yeah,” Oakley answered. “I'm just needing to find a new flat, is all.” 

He left work that day feeling like he was floating. Emily would be coming home in a few days and he planned on being moved into a nicer place than he was in. It was alright for a bachelor, but not for her. She was too good for that. In between his morning and evening hospital visits, he had managed to find a flat in the outskirts of town that had a sweeping view of meadows, new carpets, fresh paint, and even a garage for his car. It was a far cry from the cracker box in which he currently lived.

It took him one day to move what he wanted to keep of his belongings. He discarded the threadbare furnishings, keeping only the short bookcase and the books on it, his television, as well as the bureau he kept his clothes in and a small crate full of personal items. His dishes had been a combination of plastic cutlery and take-out containers that he reused until they split apart, so they went in the trash as well. It felt like he was trading in his old life for an entirely new one.

He borrowed a neighbor's truck to move what he had, then returned it when he was done. As he sat in his new flat, beer in hand, discarded milk crate for a table, pile of blankets for a bed, he contemplated his next step. He didn't want Emily coming home to the crap flat he had been in, but he also didn't want her to come home to this. Flipping open his laptop, he searched for a local furniture store that offered delivery and in less than twenty minutes he was checking out a whole new bedroom suite, living room set and dining set to be delivered the next day. Satisfied, he drove to a home store and purchased new dishes, linens, towels, curtains, and a box of chocolates for Emily's homecoming.

She was gone for a week, but in between the assault and her release, Oakley visited her several times a day, each time bearing some token of his affection. They had the time to really get to know each other and he relished it. He had never had the opportunity to do so before, his past relationships being nothing more than a quick wham, bam, thank you ma'am before he was on to the next piece of tail. Except Dina. And he had yet to tell Emily about her. He didn't look forward to it, even though he knew he needed to sooner than later, before shit really hit the fan. His plan was to get her home, get her comfortable, wine her and dine her, then drop the bombshell. In his mind, he thought she knew how loyal of a man he had been to her, she couldn't possibly have too much of a problem with it.

Oakley had hinted at his history while he visited her, told him about how he used to be, that he would lead women on, especially sensitive older women, friends of his folks, toying with them, only to drop them when things got too serious. He also told her things he had never told anyone before and he found it cathartic. She understood, she sympathized with his reasons for being the way he was, she castigated him for his treatment of past girlfriends in a gentle way, forgiving him past wrongs. But, when she asked him what happened to him, why he was different now, he would only answer, “Maturity,” before changing the subject.

On the day she was to be released from the hospital, Oakley made sure the new place was spotless. He knew she disapproved of his smoking and made sure to only do so outside, even though he was often shivering on the patio doing so. In an effort to impress her, he had bought an expensive Merlot, had arranged for dinner to be delivered from her favorite restaurant shortly after they were slated to come home, had even traded his stained jeans and t-shirt for a navy blue three-piece suit. His curls had been shorn short on the sides, but still moppish on the top, and he had been growing his beard out, carefully sculpting it into a goatee. When he had first told Emily about the beard, she had laughed, joking that she didn't relish whisker burn, but he could tell she was happy.

He stopped by the florist's on his way to the hospital and picked up a dozen red roses. As he passed the window on his way back to the car, he caught a glimpse of himself and thought, “If only Badge and Jack saw me now.” He hadn't spoken to them in years, but imagined that they could only have been impressed with him now. He even thought his father, were he still alive, would have treated him differently had he seen him like this. It was a sobering thought and he pushed it out of his mind as he got in the car and drove to the hospital.

When he arrived, he happily sprinted up the stairs, instead of waiting for the elevator and as he passed the nurses' station on floor 5, smiled broadly at the nurses. “She's ready for you,” one of them said as she returned the smile. He tried to slow his pace as he made his way down the corridor and approached her room.

Emily was standing with her back to the door when he entered, gazing out the window to the courtyard below. She was dressed in a black cotton skirt and an emerald green sweater he had bought for her. Her hair had been pulled to the side and secured with a clip and he could see the muscles in her neck move slightly as she took a breath. “Hello, Oakley,” she said, turning to face him.

He rushed to her, nearly shoving the roses in her hands as he grasped her face and kissed her deeply. “Darling!” he exclaimed. “Are you ready to come home?”

“No.” She seemed distant, so different from the Emily he had known all these days, that he had visited, that he was quickly falling in love with. “My mum's coming down to get me.”

Oakley's heart fell. “But, why?” He wanted, he needed to know. “Was it something I did?”

She shook her head. “No, it isn't. I just don't want to be the kind of girl that hops from the bed of one man into the bed of another. It hasn't been even a couple of weeks since everything with Josh. I just need some time. I hope you understand.”

His eyes teared up and he tried his hardest to staunch them. “But, we planned...”

“Plans change.” She sighed as she set the roses down on the windowsill. “Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful.”

He stifled the urge to let his temper go and scream at her, to yell how unfair she was being. “Can I at least bring you home for dinner, first?” Deep in his heart, he hoped that, once he got her there, she wouldn't want to leave. 

“As long as you're not expecting me to stay,” she answered. “Besides, my stuff is still at your place. It wouldn't do me much good to leave if everything I have is here. I just need to call my mum and let her know I'll call her when I'm ready. I'll have to give her directions.”

He nodded. “I won't.” He grabbed the box of items she had accrued while in the hospital and held the door open with his elbow. Emily grabbed the bunch of roses and led the way from the room, Oakley following glumly behind her. Once outside, he led her to the parking garage and set the box down beside an unfamiliar car. It was a newer model Ford Fiesta, black with a gray interior.

“Is your car in the shop?” she asked, confused.

He sighed. “I traded her in.” 

Emily's eyes widened. “Why?”

“It was supposed to be a surprise.” He unlocked the back door and slid the box in, then went around to unlock the passenger side and help Emily in. As he got in the car, he said very little, purposefully being evasive to her line of questioning. As he pulled out of the garage, he set his teeth and didn't look at her.

“I thought you loved your car, you were going to fix it up.” Emily seemed more concerned about his car than she did about breaking his heart. “Was it having problems? I thought, being a mechanic, you could fix it.”

He hit the top of the steering wheel in frustration. “Please, let it lie.”

She sat back in her seat and gazed out the window to her side. “Sorry.” There was a chasm between them she hadn't felt before, but it was there now. She didn't dare to say any more, until she realized they were traveling in the opposite direction of Oakley's flat. “Where are we going?”

Through his gritted teeth, Oakley answered, “You'll see.” He drove another ten minutes down the road, turned left onto a gravel road and maneuvered the car into a garage in front of a large manor house. He pressed a button on the visor and the garage door rolled into place behind them. “Hold up a minute, the lights will come on,” he said as they were ensconced in the darkness.

Emily heard him get out of the car and shut his door, then heard the handle on her side wiggle as he opened it. Then, the lights switched on. He grasped her hand as he helped her out of the car. As she shut the door, he opened the back and grabbed the box from it. “Don't want you to forget this when your mum comes.” 

He motioned towards the door next to them and Emily pushed down the handle. With one foot, he nudged it open and then held it there for her to pass. “Welcome home,” he said sardonically as she entered the room. 

She gasped as she went in. They had entered what had once been the foyer of a large manor house, except now, rather than expensive art on the walls, there was a stanchion of mailboxes. There were doors on either side of an ornate staircase, each with a number, one 1A, the other 1B, and a third door that was on their right that read, “Superintendent.” 

“Upstairs, to the left,” Oakley instructed, nodding at the staircase. Mutely, Emily followed his direction, feeling completely out of place in the building. They walked down a corridor, passing more doors with numbers, 2A, 2B, 2C, and stopped in front of 2D. He set the box down and pulled a keyring out of his pocket. Taking a moment to identify the correct one, he then unlocked the door and shoved it open, sliding the box in with his foot.

Emily entered, curiously looking around, nervously biting her lip. “Oakley, what is this place?”

He slid the box all the way shut and the door closed behind him with a soft lick of the lock. “Home,” he answered flatly.

Her eyes perused the cocoa colored walls, so different from the flat he had left, now decorated with colorful pieces of art. There was an overstuffed sofa in a mossy green tucked underneath a large window with a view of rolling fields. There was a pair of matching wingback chairs and ottomans flanking a large, classic fireplace, and a set of matching glass and oak end-tables and coffee table. There were brushed silver pedestal lamps placed carefully around the room, and on the opposite side of the sofa, Oakley's old bookcase, painted with a glossy new finish, upon which his television sat. As she ventured further into the room, she saw the oak dining set, already made up for dinner, in the space between the living room and a modern kitchen. “Oakley!” she exclaimed, her eyes glistening with happiness. 

Even though he was trying desperately to be angry with the situation, angry with her, the look on her face made him melt. “I did this for you, darling, for us.”

Emily's face fell. “I still can't stay,” she said softly, tearfully. “How did you afford all this?”

He pursed his lips. “Trust fund.” He sauntered to the sofa and looked out the window. “I was saving it for something special. I didn't want you coming home to...” He held up his hand and gestured to the door. “You deserve better than that.”

The doorbell rang and pulled their attention away from each other. Oakley went to answer it while Emily sat down on one of the dining chairs. When he returned, his arms were laden with delivery bags from her favorite restaurant, “Bisbees.” He set them down on the pass-through from the kitchen and pulled out boxes of irresistible food. “You shouldn't have!” she exclaimed as she watched him carefully dish it up onto plates and bring it into the dining room.

“I did,” he said quietly as he set a plate in front of her. After he set his own plate down, he returned to the kitchen, only to come back with two flutes of wine. “I hope you like Merlot,” he said, handing her one.

Emily took a delicate sip. “I love it.” 

Oakley sat down to his meal and took a bite, chewing it slowly as he watched Emily devour her own food. Between mouthfuls, he commented, “Didn't like that hospital food much, did you?”

She giggled and shook her head. “It was awful,” she answered after she had swallowed her food and washed it down with the rest of the Merlot in her glass. “I couldn't tell when I was eating mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, or pudding.”

He made a face and it made her laugh again. Here was the Emily he loved. 

When the meal was over, she asked, “Do you mind if I call my mum and give her directions so she can be here after we finish dessert?” Oakley nodded and wrote the address down on a piece of note paper he had retrieved from a drawer in one of the end tables.

While she spoke on the phone, Oakley walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, hoping she would follow. She did, taking her seat on the opposite end where he sat, as though she was afraid if she sat next to him that she would lose her resolve and not leave. “Emily, I...” he began, his eyes rolling up like he was searching the inside of his head for the right words. 

“Yes?” She gazed at him, her features reflecting the soft light from the lamps, her skin seeming effervescent.

He took a deep breath. “Emily, I have an admission of sorts,” he said. He took his jacket off and pulled his wallet from the pocket of the waistcoat he was wearing. Flipping the wallet open, he passed it to her and she could see a photograph, the plastic sleeve holding it weathered and grimy, except over the faces. It was a younger version of Oakley and a little girl who had his same big blue eyes, his same blond curls.

“You?” she asked. Oakley nodded. “Who's the little girl?”

He steeled himself for her reaction. “That is Annaliese. My daughter.”

Emily's smile fell and she dropped the wallet. “Daughter? You never told me you had a daughter...”

“I was waiting for the right time,” he mumbled as he retrieved his wallet. He closed it and set it back down on the table. He looked soberly at Emily. “She's three now. She was about a year and a half old in that photo. That's the last time I saw her.”

“What about her mother?” Emily was ready, expecting Oakley to say that he was married and had been separated from the girl's mother, but that they were getting back together. She hoped her fears were unfounded.

Oakley leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his hands over his face. “Dina.” He tapped his fingers on his forehead. “Dina was the love of my life. Or so I thought. I was still wild then, but I took her seriously. We were together for two years andnI never once cheated on her or looked at another woman. I asked her to marry me. She said no and left with my best friend.”

Emily softened and scooted closer to him. She put her hand on his thigh and squeezed gently. “So, what about Annaliese?”

He looked up at her. “Dina was pregnant with Annaliese when she left. She didn't tell me. I found out a year after Annaliese was born. I've only seen her once.”

“That's awful!” Emily was ready to not feel sorry for him and yell at him for being a deadbeat dad when he continued.

“Shortly after I met Annaliese,” he said, “Dina and I got back together and everything was wonderful until she decided she didn't want anything to do with me. And that included my daughter. She took Annaliese and moved to Madrid with her new husband, whom she was married to while making like she wanted to get back together.” He was shaking and on the verge of tears. “I didn't tell you because I was so afraid you wouldn't want anything to do with me if I did.”

Emily embraced him and kissed him softly on the cheek. “I'm so sorry.” She didn't know what else to say. 

He sat up and leaned into her. “Now you know.” Nuzzling her ear with his nose, he whispered, “I can't do this.”

“What?” Emily was taken aback. “What can't you do.”

Oakley grabbed her hands and held them in his, dwarfing them. “Emily, I'm in love with you.”

“We've only known each other for a week,” she protested, furrowing her eyebrows at him like he was crazy. “How can you be in love with me? It makes no sense.”

He dropped her hands. “It makes perfect sense. Love, itself, makes no sense. I just know what I know and that is that, in the week we've known each other, I've fallen in love with you.”

“Oakley, that's nuts.” She leaned back away from him. “That's not even long enough to get to know each other.”

“Yes, it is,” he argued. “That's how long my grandparents knew each other before they got engaged.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your grandparents were from a different era, life expectancy was shorter!” Her voice rose to a passionate level.

“But, what if I'm just like Dina and you don't know it yet.” And there it was. Her words struck him as surely as a dagger to the heart. 

Oakley sat silent, stunned. 

The doorbell rang and he stayed put, so Emily had to stand and answer the door. He heard her voice ring through the flat as she happily greeted, “Hello, mum!” 

Standing up, Oakley made his way to the door and smiled cordially at the woman who could have been Emily's twin, with the exception of the lines on her skin that betrayed her age. “I'll carry Emily's things down to your car,” he said coolly, picking up the box from the hospital and the handle to her suitcase at the same time.

“Well, thank you,” Emily's mother said, “It was so nice of you to take care of her things while she recuperated.”

“Don't mention it.” Oakley managed to hold the door open for the women as they made their way to the car. He loaded it up and kissed her mother's hand as she got in the car. Emily waited at the passenger side for him and he went to embrace her. “I am truly sorry,” she said as she tried to move away from him.

He caught her and landed a kiss on her mouth. “I love you,” he said. “I'll wait for you. However long you need, I'll wait.”

She smiled, unable to be mad at him. “I'm glad.”

“Call me when you get in. I want to know you made it safely.” He kissed her again.

“I will,” she answered as she kissed him back.

Emily got into the car and closed the door. Oakley watched as the car drove away, its tail lights getting smaller and smaller until they were mere pinpricks on the horizon and, even when it began to rain, he stood there, pulled a cigarette and lighter from the pack in his pocket, and hoped that he would soon see her return to him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Smut's back...

Oakley slept fitfully for the next few days, not because of the new flat, he had become used to that by his second night there, but because it now felt empty. He had anticipated Emily's being there with him so much so that, even though she had shared his bed with him for only one night, he felt her absence. He tossed and turned, startling himself when he rolled into the center of his bed and realized he was alone. His dreams vacillated between memories of Dina and fantasies of Emily, from nightmare to desire. 

He hadn't called Emily, he didn't want her to feel pressured and, deep-down, he didn't want to risk her rejection. First one week went by, then another, then the beginning of the third with no word from her. He figured if he hadn't heard from her by that Friday, he would call, if even just to hear her voice.

On Friday, he woke up feeling haggard, his eyes bleary from lack of productive sleep, and there was a stitch in his side from some odd position he found himself in when his eyes snapped open. Grabbing his phone off the nightstand, he flicked it on and looked at the time; his alarm was set go go off in ten minutes and he grumbled to himself about being awake before his alarm. When he sat up, he was hit with a headache, pain shooting right behind his eyes, another result from his sleepless night. 

Dragging himself out of bed, Oakley got in the shower and stood in the scalding water for a few minutes, letting it run over his head, down his skin, leaving red hot trails across him. It was a baptism of sorts. A cleansing. As his head cleared, he washed himself, and got out of the shower just as the hot water began to cool down. He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a thick towel from the wall, covering his head with it to sop up the excess water from his hair, then swiping it over himself before finally wrapping it around his midsection and returning to his room.

He grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from the bureau and slid them on, then made his way to the kitchen to put a pot on for tea, put some bread in the toaster, then grabbed his laptop from its perch on the pass-through and sat down at the table. As the screen on his laptop lit up, he heard his phone ring from the other room. With an annoyed sigh, he went to retrieve it. Deep in his heart, he had hoped it was Emily and his heart soared when he saw that it was. “Hello, darling,” he answered. “Good morning.”

“Oakley,” she said, his name rolling off her tongue. “I'm so sorry about the other night.” He could tell she was hesitating, choosing her words carefully. “I hope you understand that, well, I wasn't expecting any of that. You took me by surprise.”

“I understand.” He let out a sigh of relief. “It was quite the bombshell.”

She chuckled under her breath. “I think I would have taken it better had you told me you had another woman. I never in a million years would have guessed that you were a father.”

“To be fair, I haven't been allowed to be much of one.” There was a tone of resignation in his voice that sounded odd to him as he said it. “You took the news better than I had expected.”

“I did a lot of thinking last night...” she sighed.

“No wonder I couldn't sleep,” he interrupted, joking, hoping it would help with the tension between them.

She let out an amused snort. “I did a lot of thinking about us.” She sounded serious.

“And?” He hoped it wasn't bad. He didn't want to hear that she was never coming back and crossed his fingers while he waited for her to speak again. It was juvenile, but, as he closed his eyes, completely necessary at that moment.

“The thing is,” Emily took a deep breath, “As I left, I had a feeling deep in my gut that I was making the wrong decision. I even talked it over with my mum.”

“What did she say?” At that moment, he had never hoped he had made a good impression on anyone he hadn't wanted to sleep with more. 

There was another sigh on her end of the line. “She said she thought you were a very nice man and asked why I wanted to throw you away.”

He tried to stifle a laugh. “I knew I liked your mum.”

“Well, from the way you tell it, it sounds like you have that effect on women in general,” she said dryly.

“I can't help it,” he excused with a chuckle.

Emily cleared her throat. “You ass, I'm trying to be serious.”

“Sorry,” he said. She couldn't know that he was still smiling. “Please continue.”

“Thank you.” Emily was sounding slightly annoyed at his interruptions. “After a lot of soul-searching last night, I came to the conclusion that I don't care about your past. I miss you, Oakley, more than I thought I would.” She was starting to tear up, he could tell by the catch in her voice. “I don't want to give you up.”

With a sigh of relief, he responded, “I don't want to lose you, either. You're the best thing to ever happen to me.” Oakley, himself, felt tears coming on and he fought the urge with a gulp. “Like I said, I love you.”

“I believe you do,” she sniffled. “I can't say the same just yet, but I can say that I care about you, that I'm glad I met you, though I do wish the circumstances had been better, but I do miss you. I'm emotionally scarred from everything that happened with Josh. That's two years of my life lost and I don't know if I'm feeling what I'm feeling because it's love or because you saved me. I can't give you any more than that until I know for sure.”

He found himself nodding. “God, do I understand that,” he said, letting out a deep breath. “Dina fucked me up in the same way. It's almost like you don't trust yourself or any of the emotions you feel.”

“I wish it didn't have to be this way.” Her voice was sounding weak. He heard her take a deep breath and when she spoke again, it was stronger, with more resolve. “I'd like to see you tonight.”

His heart soared, but he did his best not to sound overly excited. “I want to see you, too.”

“Can I come by the garage when you're getting off work, and maybe we can go out for a quick dinner?” She sounded so certain, like she had been mulling over these plans since she'd left the night before.

Oakley grinned. “If you don't mine my grime.”

“I just want to see where you work,” she said. “We can go back to your flat so you can clean up afterward, if you'd like.”

“That sounds good,” he answered. “Anywhere in particular you'd like to go?”

“I'd like to go somewhere casual,” she said. “No where stuffy.”

“I know just the place.” He glanced down at the time. “I'm sorry, Darling, but I've got to shove off.”

“Alright,” she sighed. “I'll see you tonight, then.”

He said, “I love you,” right when the line clicked dead.

Oakley pulled on his work boots and pocketed his wallet and phone, grabbed his car keys from the top of the mantel and sprinted out the door to work. He arrived just in time, which, for him, was late. He usually had liked to get there with enough time to get into work mode, rather than just get thrown into it. 

“Hey, Oakley,” he was greeted by John, his best friend. “You have a late night?” John had been privy to most of Oakley's relationship with Emily, hearing about it when they went out to the pub in the evenings. He was a great source of advice, given that he had been married for five years to Ellie, a wonderful, jovial woman who made sure that Oakley had a home-cooked meal at least once a week.

Oakley shook his head. “No, not really.” He hadn't yet told John what had happened when he picked Emily up at the hospital. 

“I thought you and Emily might have been having some fun.” He shot a knowing grin at Oakley.

Sighing, Oakley sat down at his work station and pulled out the tools he would need for the car he was working on. “John,” he began, “Emily didn't come home with me. She went home with her mum. I hadn't heard from her since that night.”

John winced. “Oh, that's gotta hurt.” He ducked under his own car, then peeked out from behind a tire. “Even after all you did to get the new place ready for her?”

“Yeah.” Oakley got down on a rolling backboard and slid under the car. “She called this morning, though. I think things will be alright. We're going out tonight.” 

“Well, I'm happy for you, then.” John began to concentrate on his work once more.

The rest of the day, Oakley threw himself into fixing the car he was assigned, nearly finishing it, definitely ahead of schedule. He joked with the guys in the shop, the only one of which knew what his circumstances currently were being John, so most of their jokes were revolving around which girls the guys had slept with that were the best in the sack. For this, Oakley had no input, only interjected his wit when necessary. They took no notice. They weren't aware of his past because, with the exception of John, none of them knew him before his relationship with Dina. For all they knew, he was a confirmed bachelor, a recluse and, occasionally, a drunk.

As the day wound down, Oakley was finishing up beneath his car when he heard the guys in the shop begin wolf whistling and cat calling. He heard the echoes of, “My, my, I'd like to wrap myself with those stems...” among other things. He paid no mind, expecting it was some client come to pick up the sleek sports car that had been finished that day. Footsteps, the sound of a woman's heels, clicked on the cement floor of the shop and came to a stop right by his head. He hesitated for a moment until he heard her speak. “Hello, my sweet.” It was Emily. He slid back out from the car, his face streaked with grease, his hair mussed and dirty with sweat and shop dust.

“Emily,” he smiled. “You're early, Darling.”

“I know,” she shrugged. “I had my mum drop me off. She was on her way to some shindig uptown and it was on the way. I figured you could take me home tonight.”

He sat up. “I can.” Standing up, he motioned around the garage. “So, here's where I work.”

“It's nice.” She glanced around, following his direction. “A bit grungy, but nice.”

John approached them. “You must be the elusive Emily,” he winked at her. 

“John, Emily, Emily, John,” Oakley introduced.

“I'd shake your hand or give you a peck, but I'm pretty grimy,” John said. “And I don't think my wife would approve.”

Emily laughed. “John, I've heard a lot about you. And Ellie.”

“I hope only the good stuff.” He shot Oakley a look and punched him lightly in the arm.

Oakley scowled at him. “It's all good stuff where you're concerned, buddy.” He returned the friendly punch, slightly harder. John reciprocated, again harder than Oakley and before long, they were in an all-out mock scuffle ending with John grunting with the strain of holding Oakley in a head lock, Oakley roaring with laughter and Emily, wide-eyed and trying to stifle her own amusement. 

“Boys,” she finally yelled, her hands on her hips, “Break it up!” She covered her mouth with her hands and the peal of laughter escaping. 

John let go of Oakley and glanced up to the shop clock that was over the garage bay doors. He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. “Quitting time, boys!” he yelled. Turning to Emily, he bowed. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Emily.”

She nodded. “And you, John. I'd love to meet Ellie sometime soon.”

“I think she's like that as well.” He smiled and walked away from them, leaving the shop through the office door.

“I think we should get going, too,” Oakley said, holding his dirty arm up for Emily to take. She grinned at him and gingerly held his elbow where there wasn't any grease. He led her through the office, excusing himself to at least somewhat clean up. She took a seat in the waiting area and picked up an outdated issue of Field & Stream. When Oakley emerged, he was cleaner. “Shall we go?” he asked.

“We shall,” she smiled. She held his hand as he led her to the car, even kissed him when he opened the door for her. 

“I'm glad we're doing this,” he whispered.

“So am I.” She was floating. She had forgotten what it felt like to be loved and appreciated and Oakley was making her remember.

They drove to Oakley's flat, happily sharing stories about their childhoods, favorite summers, vacations. Emily told him about the year her family had decided to visit Tokyo, Oakley regaled her with tales of the Italian countryside. By the time they arrived, their sides hurt from laughter and their mouths were dry from talking so much.

Emily followed Oakley up to his flat. “I forgot to tell you, I'm proud of you for doing this,” she said, noticing details she had failed to notice when she had been there before.

“I did it all for you,” he answered as he grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator. He tossed one to her through the pass-through and she caught it, twisted the top off and drank it so quickly that the bottle crumpled in on itself. “You've got some suction, there,” Oakley smirked.

“Har, har,” she snorted. “You should probably take your shower, car boy.”

He drained the rest of his bottle down his throat and left the empty on the dining room table. “Yeah,” he answered, “I probably should.” Motioning towards the television, he said, “You can see if something's on if you want.”

Emily sat on the couch, leaned back and grabbed the remote control from the coffee table. “I might just do that.” She flicked the set on and began scanning the channels as Oakley disappeared into the bathroom. There was nothing on. She turned it off and stood up, deciding to get the lay of his flat instead. She peeked into the kitchen, nothing of real interest there. There was an extra room, most likely meant to be an office, but for now held a crate full of car magazines and had Oakley's calendar pinned to the wall, the early beginnings of a man cave. In the bedroom, she noticed that he had gotten a plush new bed, an entirely new bedroom set and new linens. She wondered just exactly how much money he had spent, only to have her reject him, and she felt horrible.

The water for the shower turned on and Emily waited for a moment for Oakley to get in before she tapped lightly on the door. “Oakley, can I come in?”

“Sure,” he yelled from inside, his voice echoing off the tiled walls.

She turned the handle and pushed the door in, only to be accosted by a cloud of hot steam. “Don't you have a fan in here?”

“Switch on the wall,” he answered, “But I like the steam. It helps with my sinuses.”

She sat down on the toilet seat. “Oakley, I have an admission,” she sighed. “I looked around and I see everything you did for me and I feel awful.”

He peeked his head around the curtain. His curls were wet noodles on top of his head and rivulets of water ran down his face from them making him sputter for a moment. “Don't, Darling, I understand.”

Emily stood up and approached him. “I'm glad you understand.” She reached her hand up to caress his wet cheek and he smiled softly before leaning in to kiss her. It started out innocently enough, but the longer they kissed, the more insistent it got. His lips swept over hers, and he opened his, taking in her lower lip and sucking it for a fraction of a second before parting hers with his tongue, tangling it with hers. 

A subtle moan escaped her. “Do you mind if I join you in there?”

“Are you able to?” he asked, concerned. “I mean, after...”

“My miscarriage?” She kicked off her shoes and peeled off her socks. “The doctor says it's alright now.” She said it so matter-of-factly that he wondered if she was still in shock. There was no hint at loss, no hint at emotion.

“Are you alright?” he didn't want to force her into anything she didn't want to do, even if she thought she was pleasing him. 

Emily unzipped the fitted skirt she wore and slid it down over her hips revealing the lacy panties she wore, then she slid those down as well. She pulled her shirt and revealed the matching bra, then unhooked the back and shimmied its straps down her arms. “I'm perfectly fine,” she answered. 

As she climbed into the shower with him, he embraced her, pressing his wet nakedness against her dry skin. “I'm glad. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this.”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tangled her fingers behind his neck. “I want to.” He hungrily went for her mouth, attacking it with fervor, moving it down her chin to her neck, suckling at her bare breasts and making them peak, then back up to her collarbone.

She leaned back against the wall, her skin starving for his attention. She moved her hands down to his backside, caressing the lines of his muscles as they carved down towards his perfect posterior. She kissed him as he kissed her, feeding upon his wet neck, tongue lapping the water as she moved down his chest. Oakley hissed as she leaned down, her tongue trailing down his belly, following the trail of hair to his cock that was already beginning to harden. Taking him in his entirety in her mouth, she pulled slowly back up, leaving it rock hard and throbbing in her wake. She lapped at the silky skin on the underside, flicking her tongue at it before taking just the tip in her mouth and bobbing ever so slightly on that.

Oakley's hands found her hair and held her there, guiding her to the rhythm he wanted. “Oh fuck,” he gasped. 

She felt him begin to twitch and pulled away. “Not yet,” she said. 

Emily stood back up and he caught her, spun her around so she was facing the spray of the shower, her skin getting red from the heat. One arm wrapped around her chest, his hand kneading at her breasts, the other hand snaked down her front, slid in between her folds and began circling her clit. She began to feel the electricity shoot through her nether regions and she mewled as he stroked her, stoking her excitement. She raised her hips against him, and felt him slide two dexterous fingers into her, crooking them, caressing her from the inside while his thumb continued to press and swirl around her nub. Oakley nibbled on her ear lobe and licked at her neck. It sent her over the edge. She keened as the sensation overtook her, feeling the waves crash over her with abandon. 

“There, my Darling,” he growled as he pulled himself from her at her apex. His fingers were coated with her desire and he sucked her juices from them before spinning her around again and pinning her against the wall. His hands slid down her sides and grasped her hips, pulling her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips, his tip positioned at her entrance. With a grunt, he pushed inside her, letting her take him slowly. She gasped as he slid inside her. “Let me know if I hurt you at all,” he whispered.

She nodded. “You feel divine,” she moaned, arching her back and pressing herself against him even more. She rocked her hips against him and the lightning bolts shot through her once again. As he thrust inside her, slowly at first, taking his time with her, then harder, she began to orgasm once again, her senses dulled to everything but his movements and her response. With an explosion of ecstasy, she screamed his name, her voice ragged, her breath hitched. “Oh, God... Oakley!”

Her walls clenched down on him, milking him, making him want to slam into her harder and he did. He rutted into her hard enough that her backside thumped against the wall with a decisive thud, and then again, until he was pulled into the maelstrom as well, his passions expended in a volatile explosion of heat and desire. He held her there for a moment, his chest heaving against hers, and then let her down. “Let's finish this shower and get ready for dinner,” he said, tenderly kissing her forehead.

“That's a great idea,” she agreed. “Besides, the water is getting cold.”


	7. Chapter 7

Oakley and Emily stepped out of the shower, dried off and got dressed, giggling like school children, occasionally punctuating their joy with a brief kiss. Emily thought it was the closest she'd ever been to nirvana. Each time his lips touched hers, her heart soared, but she was hesitant to call it love. Oakley, on the other hand, was completely smitten. He watched her, absorbed everything about her, minute details that he filed away in his mind for later, for the nights he was without her. He knew, without a doubt, what he was feeling.

They found themselves at a small country inn, far flung from the city in surrounding, but only about an hour away. It was set in an old villa, brownstone, faux thatched roof, hand hewn wooden door. Authentic enough that they could hear the chickens in the coop behind the building clucking at each other and could smell the faint scent of manure from the livestock in the barn. “What is this place?” Emily asked, amused as she looked around.

“A little place I like to come for some good home-cooked food,” Oakley shrugged. “It's called 'Ye Olde Country Inn,' if you can believe that.”

She laughed. “It sounds a bit trite.”  
“Just you wait until you try some of their pudding. It's pure Heaven.” He helped her out of the car and wrapped his arm around her back and escorted her into the inn.

A woman with a wrinkled face and merry blue eyes dressed in a brown peasant-style dress greeted them at the door. “Jes the two o ya?” 

Oakley nodded. “Yes, please.”

The woman beckoned them to follow and seated them in the back corner at a table that resembled something from the dark ages, all rough plank, stained and dinged with years of use. She presented them with menus printed on hand-made paper and set about to get them glasses of water. 

Amused with how Emily was taking it all in, Oakley asked, “So, what do you think?”

“It's charming,” she smirked. She hadn't paid much attention as they were seated, but now that she was able to, she looked around. The walls were clapboard, sparsely decorated with the exception of some old paintings of fields and a horsehair dart board. The floor was dirt, covered in years of sawdust and spilled ale. “How did you find this place?”

He smiled. “I thought you'd never ask.” He paused as the old woman brought the water to their table, thanked her, then continued when she left. “One night, when I was distraught about Dina, I went for a drive. Now, wandering aimlessly is not something that I do often, but that night, I felt like there was something guiding me. I ended up here and I felt like I was home.”

“You grew up in a hut?” Emily laughed.

Oakley scowled at her in jest. “Continuing on...” he cleared his throat. “Nobody else I know comes here. I doubt anyone I know knows about this place, but this is where I come to seek solace. It's quiet, comfortable, non-judging.”

A man sauntered up and stood by Emily's elbow. “Oakley, lad, you're not alone tonight!” he greeted with a grand gesture, his voice tinged with a bit of Scottish accent. He was dressed entirely in black, even his hair was black, and he had the look of a weasel.

“Paton,” Oakley nodded, “I'd like you to meet Emily.”

The man turned to her and held out his hand. “Paton MacDonald, at your service.” When she grasped his hand to shake it, he leaned down and kissed the back of her hand. Emily blushed.

“Emily,” Oakley explained, “Paton is the owner of this fine establishment. As I said, I've been coming here for a while.”

Paton let go of Emily's hand. “You are one lucky woman,” he smiled. “This 'un here is quite the catch, so I'm told.” To Oakley, he said, “And you, my boy, have outdone yourself with this 'un.” He winked.

Oakley squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. “Yeah, uhh, thanks, Paton.”

A voice from the kitchen called and drew Paton's attention from them. “Duty calls.” he bowed as he stepped away, then scurried into the kitchen.

“What did he mean by that?” Emily asked, raising her eyebrow to Oakley. 

Taking a deep breath, Oakley sighed. “That's a long story.” He cast his eyes down at the table and tapped his fingers on the wood, trying to concentrate on his menu.

Emily reached over and set her hand on top of his, stilling him. “I'm game.”

He looked up and his eyes searched hers and saw nothing but concern. He felt like he was dredging up more demons from his past and didn't want her to see him as anything more than how she saw him now. “I have been a source of interest here for some time now.” He took a deep breath, then a sip from his water glass. “They've all tried to set me up with some friend or another through the years...” his voice trailed off as he glanced around the room. “There may have been bets placed as to who I would end up actually dating.”

“That's not so bad,” Emily shrugged. She drank some of her water.

“I think someone played a cruel joke on me because the woman I ended up taking out on a date or two actually ended up not being one at all.” He closed his eyes and waited for her reaction.

Emily spat her water out in blast of laughter. “Oh my god! Did you know?”

He shook his head. “No, not at all.” He looked miserable at the admission. “I think they thought I was homosexual, after that.”

She blinked her eyes at him. “You didn't....?” she asked, rolling her hand at him.

Oakley leaned down and covered his face in his hands. “No,” he answered, his voice muffled. “It never got to that point.” 

“How did you find out?” Now Emily was rapt.

Another deep breath. “Well, it nearly got to that point. We kissed. He told me.” Oakley didn't want to look at Emily. He could feel the heat from his embarrassment creeping up his neck and over his face.

“How could you not know?” she chuckled. “I'd think the Adam's Apple would have been a dead giveaway.”

“Turtlenecks.” Oakley looked up at her finally and instead of seeing revulsion, he saw amusement. “He always wore turtlenecks.”

“What about the voice?” she knew he was going through emotional hell, but curiosity had gotten the better of her. “How could you not know?”

“Have you ever heard Michael Jackson?” Oakley snorted. “That guy had more of a feminine voice than some women I know. So did Yolanda.”

Emily guffawed. “Yolanda?”

“That was the name he gave me.” Oakley was beginning to regret his decision to visit the inn. “Besides, it was years ago. And I was lonely. This was after Dina left me the last time.”

Emily reached across the table and gently touched his arm. “I'm sorry for laughing at your painful memory.”

Oakley shook his head and gave her a dry smile. “No you're not. Hell, if someone else had been telling that story, I'd have busted a gut, too.” He stood up and moved to her side. She scooted over on the bench and he sat down. Putting his arm around her, he whispered, “Besides, if anyone deserves to laugh, it's you.” He kissed her temple.

“Have you dated anyone since?” Emily leaned into his shoulder.

“No.” Oakley sighed. “I've never brought anyone else here, either.”

Emily grasped his hand under the table and set it on her thigh. “So, who won the bet?”

Oakley laughed. “Paton did. It turns out Yolanda was one of his friends and it was a set-up. Since no one had seen me ever come here with a woman, they all assumed I was gay.”

“You definitely don't give off that vibe,” she giggled.

The old woman reappeared by their table. “Have ya decided to order?” 

Oakley nodded. “I'll have the shepherd's pie and the toffee pudding and my lady will have the roast duck.” He looked at Emily for her approval. “Darling, are you sure you don't want to get a pudding?”

She smiled. “I'll have a bite of yours.”

“I'll be back with your order,” the old woman replied as she walked away.

Oakley and Emily sat in silence for a moment, basking in the glow of each other, until Oakley spoke. “Emily,” he said softly, turning towards her, his hand grasping hers tighter. “I have an admission.”

“Haven't you admitted enough?” she smiled good-naturedly. Her smile dropped when she saw how serious he was. “Sorry, go ahead.”

He exhaled. “I sold my car because, even though she was in need of some work, she was worth more than the Fiesta.”

“Is that where you got the money for the new flat? You said it was your trust fund.” She furrowed her brows in confusion.

Oakley shook his head. “No, I do have a trust fund. I've tried to live off my own work, my own savings, but I felt that was important enough to break into my trust fund.” He dug into his jacket pocket with his free hand and pulled a small box out. “I used the money for this.”

Emily took the box from his hand and unwrapped it, discarding the silver paper on the table in front of her. It revealed a velvet box. She opened it and there, in a bed of soft satin, was a ring. “Oakley,” she gasped, her voice broken. “I can't...”

His eyes were sad, near the verge of tears. “I know, not just yet,” he answered. “I was going to ask you the night you got out of the hospital, but we both know how that went.” 

“Yeah,” she responded softly, “I'm sorry about that. I don't know what to say.”

“Then let me say what I need to.” He pulled her close and leaned his chin on top of her head. “I have been in love with you since day one. I know my life has been fucked up. Hell, I've been the biggest fuck up. I never dreamed I'd meet a woman like you and that I would fall for you so fast. But I have. Damnit, I'm in love with you and it's not because I'm lonely, it's not because I need to take care of you, it's because you are truly the first woman I have ever met that didn't get offended by my past, that let me move on from the old Oakley.”

“I didn't know the old Oakley,” she murmured. 

He leaned back from her, ran his finger down the side of her cheek and kissed her lightly on the lips. “You are the woman I want to marry,” he whispered. “I know you're going to say, 'Not now,' because you think I'm taking this way too fast, but I love you, and I will wait however long I need to until you say yes.”

She was looking at him like he was nuts. Her eyes darted down to the ring box she still held in her hand, then back up at Oakley. “Oakley, I...” she began.

His index finger covered her lips. “Shhh, you don't have to say it,” he whispered.

A tear crept out of the corner of Emily's eye. She grasped his wrist and pulled his finger away from her. “But I do,” she said. She opened her mouth to continue when Paton appeared at their table, bearing their meals.

“I have brought you your food,” he announced, then upon spying the ring box in Emily's hand, let out an excited shriek. “An engagement! Your meal is on me!” Before either of them could protest, he had set their plates down and was gone, back into the kitchen.

“Well, that's one way to get a free meal,” Oakley joked as he stood up and returned to his own side of the table. When he had sat down again, he looked back at Emily. She had taken the ring from its bed of satin and was studying it. He was about to say something when she slid the ring onto her finger.

“Yes,” she said decisively, beaming at him, tears rolling down her face.

Oakley sat there, stunned, the moment feeling surreal and impossible. “Yes?” he finally managed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since I added to this... I got a bit stuck after the last chapter, but things are rolling again, so I should be adding even more to this sooner than later.

Oakley awoke with his arm wrapped around Emily's waist, his hand over her abdomen, his legs curled behind her knees, his face draped in her hair. The light that came streaming through the windows was what woke him and, as he laid and soaked in her presence, it seemed to make her stir as well. She stretched and rolled onto her back, her green eyes lazily opening to see him lying there gazing at her. “Hello, Darling,” he smiled as she focused on him. “Did you sleep well?” 

She answered with a yawn. “Wonderfully.” 

“Good to hear,” he said. “Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?” 

“I'm only hungry for you,” she grinned, her body overcome by yet another stretch, her arms reaching for the headboard, her feet pointing under the blankets, her back arching raising her breasts towards him. 

He leaned down and kissed her, his hand sliding up to one pert nipple, flicking it gently and then teasing it to a peak. “Then, you'll have me for breakfast, then.”

“That sounds wonderful,” she sighed, her arms wrapping around him and pulling him on top of her. Emily could feel his manhood pressing against her mound, hardening more with each second that they kissed. As his tongue slid between her lips and danced with hers, she felt him twitch and she spread herself open more to allow him in. 

Oakley raised his hips up, positioning himself at her entrance and slid himself gently inside her, going slowly and allowing her to accommodate him. “So wet, already,” he growled as he nipped her earlobe. “Is that all it takes?”

“What?” she gasped, her hips bucking against him. 

Oakley laughed, his voice low. “Waking up with me...” he groaned, flexing his hips to pull out until only his tip was inside her. 

Emily reached up and grabbed his ass, pulling him down, sheathing him with herself with a feral moan. “I guess you'll just have to find out.” Her voice was strained and breathy. She was close to her peak already. “Now shut up and fuck me, Oakley.”

With a broad smile, he reared up on his knees, pulling her legs over his shoulders. He reached around and pressed two of his fingers against the bundle of nerves that was swollen and waiting, swirling them around it, pressing on it. “Is this better?” he whispered.

Emily answered by rolling her hips with a groan, writhing against him, each movement inciting heavier breath as waves of pleasure began to roll over her. 'Harder,” she commanded, her voice barely audible. He pulled out and slammed into her, his cock hitting her in the tenderest spot and that was all it took to push her over the edge. Her walls contracted around him as a scream caught in her throat. “Oh, Oakley,” she cried out, her wail broken by the heavy breaths of her orgasm. “Oakley!”

He watched her there, beauty personified as she came and he felt the need to lean down and caress her cheek as she pumped against him. The touch was enough to engulf him as well, his own apex achieved as he spasmed inside her, the stream of his hot release spilled into her as he drove himself into her even harder until they were both sated and spent. With one last thrust, he pulled out and flopped down on the bed beside her, kissing her shoulder. 

Emily rolled to gaze at him. “I love you,” she whispered. “You're the best thing to have ever happened to me.”

He slid his hand down to grasp hers and he brought it up to his mouth, sweeping his lips across her ring. “I want to know, what made you come back to me? What made you say you'd marry me?” Deep inside, he was still unsure whether he was really here beside her or had just fallen into such a madness that he was imagining everything that had happened in the last few days. Certainly, his mind could have thought up worse, but never better, never this.

She reached over and ran the fingers of her free hand through his curls. “I got tired of doubting my instincts,” she answered. “When I was with Josh, I got to the point where I didn't trust anything at all. Every time I made a decision, he had a reason why I was making the wrong one. After everything went down, I realized that I wasn't being true to the real me. It took a lot of thinking, a lot of reflection, a lot of talking things out with my mum to get back to it.”

He closed his eyes and leaned against her shoulder. “I understand,” he sighed. “I had to find myself after everything with Dina.” Snapping his eyes back open he raised himself up on his elbow. His face fallen serious, he said, “I have an admission.”

A flash of panic went through Emily's eyes and she took a deep breath. “What?”

“When I first took you to the hospital, I almost called Dina.” He bit his lip, not sure what to anticipate from her.

Emily blinked for a moment. “Why?” 

“I'm not really sure, other than she was oddly the first person I thought of to get advice from, if that makes sense.” He scowled.

“Even after all she did to you?” Emily whispered, her voice taking on a sad inflection.

Oakley nodded. “Pretty fucked up, huh?”

“Not as fucked up as the fact that I nearly called Josh from the hospital to let him know what he had done.” She inhaled and let out a deep breath.

“Did you?” Oakley wondered. “Did you tell him that you had been pregnant and that he was the reason you miscarried?” 

She shook her head. “No. I want nothing more to do with him, except for in court.”

“I'm glad you pressed charges,” he said. 

She reached up and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, raising herself up and kissed him softly. “I am, too.”

Oakley's cell phone vibrated on the nightstand and he reached over to pick it up. Not recognizing the number, he declined the call and set it back.

“Who was that?” Emily asked.

He shook his head. “No idea. I didn't recognize the number.” He sat up and scooted off the bed, kissing her hand again before dropping it. “I'm famished,” he announced as he grabbed a robe from the end of the bed. “Sure you wouldn't like some food?”

Emily sat up and smiled. “I am a bit peckish, now,” she smiled. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and retrieved her own robe from the back of a chair in the corner. She wrapped herself in it as Oakley donned his own and then followed him into the kitchen.

“Cheese Danish and tea?” he asked as he set a kettle on the stove.

Emily sat down at the table. “It sounds delicious,” she answered. She watched as he pulled two Danishes from the refrigerator, set them on a pan and put them in the oven to warm, then retrieved two mugs from the cupboard. When the tea kettle began to whistle, he pulled them out and set them on plates, bringing them to the table and setting one in front of Emily and one in front of the empty chair beside her.

He returned to the kitchen to pour the water. “What kind of tea would you like?” he asked.

“Green,” Emily replied, her mouth already full of pastry. 

Oakley chuckled as he brought the steaming mugs to the table and sat down. “How are they?”

She smiled. “Wonderful.”

When he had finished wolfing down his breakfast, Oakley stood up, put his dishes in the sink and said, “I've got to go into town for a bit this afternoon on some business, would you like to come?”

Emily scowled. “I thought you had the day off.”

He put his hands up in mock surrender as she approached him to deal with her own dishes. “I do, but there's a couple things I need to attend to.”

“What?” she asked suspiciously.

He laughed and gathered her into his arms. “Well, for one thing, if you haven't noticed, we're running a bit low on food, so I was going to buy some groceries at the market. I also need to ask John something.”

“Is it something you can't ask him tomorrow when you're in?” Her voice was muffled by his chest.

“I wanted to invite them to dinner tonight.” Oakley squeezed her even closer. “I wanted to tell them the good news.”

She turned her face up towards his. “You haven't told him yet?”

He shook his head. “I haven't told anyone yet. Have you?”

“My mum,” she shrugged. “I don't really have anyone else to tell.

Leaning down to give her a kiss, he whispered, “Well, aren't we the pair.”

They made their way into the shower and managed to keep their hands off each other long enough to wash up. As they held each other, kissing as they walked back into the bedroom, Oakley heard his phone vibrating again. “Who keeps calling you?” Emily groaned as she wriggled away from him to dry off.

“I don't know.” Oakley grabbed the phone. It was the same number that had called before. Instead of hitting the “Decline,” he decided to answer it. “Hello, who's this?” he asked. 

Emily watched out of the corner of her eye as she retrieved some clothing from the bureau. He had sat down on the bed, his towel falling away from him. She could hear snippets of his end of the conversation, mostly consisting of an occasional “Okay” and “Uh, huh.” The longer the conversation went on, the more ashen he got. His face falling from the happy man she had just showered with to a haggard, downtrodden scowl. “Is everything alright?” she whispered as she sat down next to him.

Oakley looked up, his eyes cold. He shook his head and gently pushed her away. Concerned, she put her hand on his shoulder and he shied away from her, turning his back.

With a resigned sigh, she stood back up and finished getting dressed. He was still on the phone when she returned to the bathroom to brush her hair and put on a smidge of make-up. She pulled her hair into a high pony tail, colored her lips with a pink-tinted gloss, ran an eyeliner pencil over her eyelids and brushed a little loose powder over her face. When she went back into the bedroom, Oakley was done with his call. He was stoic as he pulled his clothes on, seeming to avoid her watchful eye. “Oakley, who was it?” she asked, concerned.

“Eduardo,” he grumbled. “It was Eduardo.” He turned his back to her again and pulled his shirt over his head. 

“Who's Eduardo?” She walked over to him and put her hand on his back.

He turned to look at her. “Dina's husband.”

“What happened? Is everything alright?” She searched his eyes, looking for an indication of something, anything.

Oakley took a deep breath. “Dina is missing.”

“Oh, no!” Emily gasped. 

A tear formed at the corner of his eye, threatening to fall down his cheek. “So is Annaliese.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rough sex in this chapter...

There was a knock on the door and Emily and Oakley both looked at it, then each other. Finally, Oakley rose from his seat on the sofa, letting go of her hands, to answer it. The man standing at the door was older, shorter, stockily built, with short black hair, tanned skin, dark eyes and the hint of a mustache that was further along than the rest of the stubble on his face. He looked like he had not slept in more than a week and his trousers and gray button-down were disheveled. “Eduardo?” Oakley asked as he swung the door open.

The man nodded. “Si. You must be Oakley,” he answered, his English tempered by the poetry of his Spanish accent. 

Oakley backed away from the door and beckoned him in. “Yes, please, welcome.”

Eduardo walked in and took a seat on the club chair in the corner. “Thank you so much for inviting me here,” he sighed. “As you can imagine, it has been such a trying week.”

Emily scooted over on the sofa to allow Oakley to sit closer to Eduardo. “You're very welcome,” she answered quietly. “Oakley is absolutely torn up about this.”

“Has there been any news since we last spoke?” Oakley asked as he sat down, leaning forward with his elbows rested on his knees. “Anything at all?”

Eduardo shook his head. “No.” He pulled a note from his pocket and handed it to Oakley. “Dina left this for me before she disappeared.”

Unfolding the well-creased paper., Oakley saw the familiar scrawl of Dina's handwriting. It reminded him of the note she had left him when she took Annaliese away. “My Dearest Eduardo,” she had written, “Things have not been right between us for sometime now and I find myself lonely and wanting more often than not. Believe me, I do love you with all of my heart, but I can't continue this way. I am taking our daughter home to London so I can collect my thoughts and, hopefully, return to the woman I should be. Yours, Dina.”

“Well, she certainly is consistent,” Oakley quipped as he handed the letter back. “I received one nearly like that when she left me.” He smirked as Eduardo nodded. “What's this about Annaliese being your daughter?”

Eduardo's face lost all color. “Senor, I am so sorry,” he said, his voice strained. “Dina explicitly wanted Annaliese to believe I was her father, so she wouldn't ask about you.”

Emily gasped and reached over to take Oakley's hand as it began to form into a fist. “Darling,” she whispered, hoping the sound of her voice would calm the anger that was forming. 

Oakley sat up, puffing his chest. “But she's not. She's my baby girl.” He was beyond anger, nearing tears. “Doesn't she remember me?”

“No,” Eduardo answered, leaning away from him. “She has no memory of you at all.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “How do you explain her looks? She looks just like me and obviously not like you or her mother,” Oakley asked incredulously.

“She does,” Eduardo conceded. “Honestly, the question has yet to come up. But I think you are missing the point here, which is that neither of us may see her again unless we work together.”

Leaning back against the sofa cushions, Oakley was defeated. “You're right, I'm sorry...”

“I sympathize,” Eduardo, “I can't say I would react any differently if the tables were turned.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I thought you might like to see what she looks like now.”

Oakley took the phone from him. Emily leaned her head on his shoulder to see as well. The little girl on the screen looked even more like Oakley than the faded photo he kept in his wallet. She had blond ringlets that hung down to her shoulder, their wild curl kept back by a hot pink plastic headband. She had his big blue eyes and the same mischievous smile. She looked happy. “Wow,” Oakley choked, “She's so big, now. When was this taken?” When his eyes turned up towards Eduardo from the photo, Emily saw that tears had formed in them.

“Three weeks ago,” Eduardo replied, “When we were on holiday.”

“Did you have any indication that Dina was going to do this?” Emily asked.

Eduardo shook his head. “Not really. We've been having problems, but nothing unusual.”

“Dina was never one to take conflict well,” Oakley interjected, “But she loved to pick a fight.” He handed the phone back to Eduardo after one final glance at his daughter's face. “What has been done to find them?”

Stowing the phone back in his pocket, Eduardo leaned towards the couple. “Naturally, we've contacted Dina's family in London, since they were her destination. The policia in Madrid and Paris have been notified and are working on the case.” He took a deep breath. “I had hoped she would have tried to contact you.”

“She hasn't,” Oakley shook his head. “I tried calling her phone after you contacted me and there was no answer. It went straight to voicemail.”

“We've all tried,” Eduardo said. “She must have turned it off.” He looked out the window behind Oakley and Emily. “I hoped she would contact someone, anyone, even you.”

“Why do you think she would have contacted me?” Oakley asked. “She left me, she wanted nothing to do with me, and I really can't say I blame her.” He looked pained.

Eduardo stood up and paced the center of the room as though he was searching for the exact right words. “The epicenter of our conflicts was that Dina was still in love with you.” He turned his distracted gaze to Oakley.

The tear that had been threatening to escape the corner of Oakley's eye tumbled down his cheek. “What?” he asked, even though he had heard perfectly clearly what Eduardo had said.

“Dina never fell out of love with you.” Eduardo stated it so emotionless, so matter-of-fact. “She told me so, several times.”

Oakley snaked his arm around Emily's back and pulled her closer to him, as though he was going to collapse and she was his support. “And yet, she married you,” he groaned, closing his eyes and resting his head against Emily's.

“Because she thought Annaliese was mine,” Eduardo responded. “She never loved me, she grew to tolerate me.”

Oakley opened his eyes again. “Is that why she tried to come back?”

“I believe so.” Eduardo began wringing his hands, his dark eyes full of concern. “She wanted Annaliese to be a part of your life and, well, when she realized that it was a mistake to leave me, she came home.”

“Why was it a mistake if she didn't love you?” Emily asked.

Eduardo walked closer to her and leaned down. “It was all about the money.” He stood back up and clasped his hands behind his back and stared out the window again. “My family owns one of the oldest wineries in Spain. When we married, I naturally had Dina sign a prenuptial agreement stating that if she left me, she got nothing and Annaliese got nothing.”

“Why would you do that?” Oakley exclaimed, shaking his head as he covered his face in his hands.

“Make no mistake, I did love Dina, but there was no way I was going to jeopardize my family's wealth for her. As for my daughter, once it became apparent that Annaliese was not biologically mine, I didn't want Dina to take advantage of her, either.” His eyes had grown cold. “I do love that little girl dearly, though. I believe Dina wanted to do what was best for her.”

“Then why leave now?” Emily was having as hard of a time comprehending the events as Oakley was. “If she got nothing, why now?”

Eduardo turned his steely gaze in her direction. “That is the question of the moment, now, isn't it?”

By the time Eduardo left the flat, Oakley and Emily were both emotionally drained. They had no desire to find anything for dinner any more than they had desire for sleep. “So, what now?” Emily asked as they sat on the sofa, their arms intertwined.

Oakley turned his head toward her. “I don't know. I have no idea how we can help find them. It's not like Dina and I have been in contact.” He gave her a sad smile.

She sighed, afraid to address the inevitable, but knowing that it needed to be broached. “Knowing what you now know, where does that leave us?” She didn't want to hear his answer, but she needed to.

He grasped her hands, his index finger tracing along the stones of her ring, caressing it like it would spawn a genie if he wished hard enough. His smile blossomed and the sadness in his eyes drained while he gazed at her, carefully gauging the words he wanted to say before they fell from his lips. “Darling,” he began gently before taking a deep breath. “My darling, Emily, it leaves us exactly where we have been. Dina is a part of my past and, yes, I did love her, or thought I did. I think I loved the idea of her and the physicality of our relationship, but I did not know real love until I met you.”

Emily began to cry, her hot tears spilling in rivulets down her cheeks, dripping from her chin, splashing against their bare arms. “Oh,” she gasped.

Oakley continued, bringing a hand up to wipe the tears softly from her cheeks. “You are the woman I want to spend my life with.” He leaned in and kissed her lips gently, his hand threading behind her neck and into her hair. “No matter what happens,” he whispered, “I love you and I want to marry you.”

“Oh, Oakley,” she sighed as he kissed her neck, his lips barely touching her skin. “I was dreading that you would leave me when she came back. I don't think I could stand it if I lost you.”

“Nonsense,” he mumbled, his kisses turning to nips at her earlobe. “I am in love with you.” 

Emily let out a whimper as her body began to respond to his ministrations. She leaned her head to the side of his neck and kissed the tender skin there. “I love you,” she said quietly.

Oakley sat up and smiled, his pupils dilated, his eyes hooded. He watched her with the hungry look of a predator. His hand grasped the back of her neck and pulled her to him roughly, his lips slamming against hers, bruising them with his intensity, working them as his tongue parted them to join hers in a dance. He felt her free hand slide behind his head and grasp his hair, tangling in his curls.

He let go of her hand and slid his fingers down the front of the jeans she wore, letting them rest just above the elastic of her panties while she reached down an undid the button and the zipper. Finally unconstricted, he finished his path, sliding his fingers between the filmy fabric of her panties and her mound, down into her folds that were already beginning to seep with moisture. She bucked her hips against him as he swirled his index finger against the swelling bundle of nerves and caught her breath as the muscles in her core clenched in anticipation of what was to come. As she neared her apex, he pulled himself from her and leaned her back against the sofa as she protested. “I was so close,” she hissed.

Grinning, he pulled her jeans and panties down her legs and threw them into the middle of the room before undoing his own and following suit. She wiggled her eyebrows at him in appreciation of how hard he had managed to get in so little time. He knelt on the cushion between her calves and grasped her knees, pulling her up to him, impaling her on his cock in one swift motion. She keened as she stretched to him, her hips rising to meet him. He pulled out of her, letting her ass drop to the cushion before driving into her with a feral growl. Just that, the animal that he was, the way he claimed her, was enough to send her over the edge. As he rutted into her, his breath hot against her neck, his teeth nipping into her collarbone, her walls began to clench around him and she was overtaken by impulse, completely electric, her body seizing in pleasure, squeezing around him while she screamed his name breathlessly. Just as she began to relax, the moment passed, he began to reach his own climax. He pulled out and slammed back down into her with a grunt, repeating the process, driving into her deeper and deeper until he was fully sheathed, his tip hitting her innermost reaches while she whimpered and writhed beneath him, his force being enough to pull her over the edge with him. He arched his back up as his cock twitched, constricted by her paroxysm, spilling his heat inside her as he moaned a fierce, “Oh, fuck.” She wrapped her arms and legs around him while he came, holding him there until, gratified, they collapsed against each other. 

As they laid there, breathless and blissful, Oakley's phone rang. With a concerned look, he pulled himself away from Emily and grabbed it from the coffee table. Emily sensed the alarm in his eyes as he answered with, “Hello, Dina.”


	10. Chapter 10

The conversation seemed to take hours, taking Oakley from the warmth of Emily's arms to getting dressed in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and sitting on the sofa, bent over, arms rested on his knees, face drawn. Emily could only hear his side, the “Yeah,” “No,” “Just listen...” as he tried to reason with Dina. Obviously, Dina wasn't listening to anything he had to say and it left Emily wondering why she had even called him in the first place. When at last it was over, Oakley switched off his phone and threw it into the cushion of the easy chair with such a force it ricocheted off and went sliding across the floor with a smack. “Fuck!” he yelled. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes. “Fuck!” His face was red and his expression tense.

Emily quietly slipped in next to him. “Is everything alright?” she asked quietly, attempting to place her hand on top of his.

Oakley pulled himself away from her. “Well, she's fine. Annaliese is fine.” He let out a deep breath.

“Well, that's good news,” she said, trying to stay upbeat for him. “Right?” 

He stayed silent for a moment, his breath heavy. When he finally lifted his head to look at her, she could see the fire brewing in his eyes. “She's here.”

Emily frowned. “What do you mean here?”

“In town, this town.” He was trying so hard to keep his temper. “Staying at the Lion's Mane Inn.”

“Are you going to go see her?” she asked. 

He shook his head. “No reason to, she said she doesn't have Annaliese with her.”

“Why is she here then?” Emily was confused. “Where is Annaliese?”

“She left Annaliese with her mother in London this morning.” He sat up and turned himself toward her, grabbing the hand he had previously brushed off. “She wants to see me.”

Emily took a deep breath, filling her cheeks and puffing them up before letting the air slowly out between puckered lips. “Wow.” She wasn't worried, she was concerned for him. “Are you going to see her?”

“No.” He said it with such resoluteness, his voice booming, echoing from the corners of the room. More quietly he sighed, “I really have no reason to.” It was almost as though he was trying to convince himself not to go. He leaned close to Emily and kissed her temple. “I have no reason to.”

“What if she needs to talk to you about Annaliese?” she asked softly. “Maybe it's urgent.”

“She would have told me over the phone.” He wrapped his arms around Emily. “It can't be that important or it would have been the first thing she talked with me about.”

“Well, what did she talk about?” The conversation had now piqued her interest. 

“You didn't get dressed yet?” he asked, suddenly aware that the woman he embraced was wrapped in a blue fleece blanket she had taken from the foot of the bed. “Why not?”

Emily shrugged. “I didn't think you would be that long.” She had the distinct feeling that Oakley was trying to change the subject. “What was the conversation about?”

Oakley knew he couldn't keep it from her. “She said she wants me back.” He shifted uncomfortably and watched closely for Emily's reaction.

She closed her eyes and her tongue poked out, licking her dry lips for a moment. “Oh,” was all she said. 

“She means nothing to me,” he whispered, leaning in close to her. He sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

Emily sighed, all of the air in her lungs feeling like it was forced out by the tightness that grew in her chest. She shook his arms off and stood up. “I know that, and you know that, but I don't think she knows that.” Walking towards the bedroom, she turned to look at him again, regarding the way he sat in contemplation, his whole demeanor changed, his lack of response to her argument. “Maybe you should see her.”

As she got dressed, Emily heard the click of the front door as it closed and locked. She padded her way across the carpet and back into the living room to find that it was empty. Oakley had slid his Vans on and had taken his phone, his wallet and his keys and left. She shivered, even though it wasn't cold at all and crossed her arms, rubbing them with her hands to staunch the goosebumps that emerged there. There was no indication as to where he had gone, but she knew. He had gone to Dina. 

It was a blow to her ego. Even though she had suggested he go see Dina, Emily had not imagined he would leave so soon, and not take her with him. She didn't want to be the needy, jealous girlfriend, but, as she dug her phone out of her purse, she found herself in exactly that position. She turned the phone on and contemplated dialing his number, calling and telling him she was wrong. Instead, she looked up the phone number for Dina's hotel. When the clerk answered the phone, she asked to be connected to Dina Martinero's room. The line rang twice before a woman answered. “Hello?” Her voice was controlled, low, breathy. Exactly how Emily imagined she would sound. The kind of voice that men immediately found alluring. 

“Is this Dina?” Emily asked. She was sure that she sounded timid because her voice came out thin and pitched up, almost like she had breathed in helium.

“Yes, who is this?” There was a pause as Dina waited for an answer.

Emily took a deep breath. “My name is Emily,” she began, her voice losing its waver, becoming more confident. “I'm Oakley's fiancee.”

Dina chuckled. “I wasn't aware he had a fiancee,” she said calmly. “He failed to mention that when I spoke to him.” She was trying to get a rise out of Emily. “I don't suppose he's told you about me. You see, Oakley is the love of my life. He always has been, always will be. I'm the mother of his child. Has he told you about our little angel, Annaliese yet?”

Irritated, Emily said, “Yes, he has. He's told me the entire story. Including how you left him.” She was trying her hardest not to let Dina get to her. “He's moved on.”

“Obviously not,” Dina sneered. “Or did you not know that he is on his way here as we speak.”

“I told him to.” Emily let out a groan. “He needs to finish this.”  
“We'll see about that.” Dina was so flippant, so callous, Emily wondered if she was like that all the time. “Don't be surprised if he doesn't return home tonight, little Emily.” Dina hung up the phone before Emily could craft a response.

As Emily sat down on the sofa, her heart feeling like it was breaking, the door swung open. Oakley stood in the door way, his chest heaving, his eyes lazering in on her. “I thought you had gone,” Emily said, wavering on the verge of tears. 

He closed the door and walked to her, kneeling down and burrowing his head on her shoulder. “I was going to,” he responded, his voice muffled by her. “But, as I sat in the car, I thought about it and I couldn't do that to you. If I go, you go.”

Emily breathed a sigh of relief. “I don't want to be the jealous girlfriend,” she whispered. “But I worried when I came in here and found you gone.”

He sat up and grasped her chin with both his hands. “I will never leave you,” he said forcefully. 

“You called her and said you were on your way, though.” She furrowed her eyebrows at him.

Oakley laughed. “I did, but then I called Eduardo and told him where she was.”

Her eyes widened. “So she'll be expecting you and she'll be getting Eduardo.”

He nodded with a grin. “Serves her right. She is married to him, after all.” He embraced Emily in a bear hug. 

“I called her,” Emily admitted as he wrapped himself around her. “She wasn't very nice.”

“She is a bitch.” Oakley shook his head. “Dina enjoys playing head games with people.”

“I kinda got that.” Her heart soared, her confidence in his love restored.

Oakley let go of her and reached down to rub his stomach. “I'm hungry, how about you?”

“A little.” She cocked her head, wondering what he was getting at.

“Do you feel like going out tonight?” He stood up and put his hands on his hips, towering over her.

“I suppose we could...” She was being coy, but she knew he loved it. “Maybe,” she winked as she stood chest to chest with him. “Where?”

“Wherever you want.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead.


	11. Chapter 11

There was a pounding on the door that woke them up. Oakley was the first to get up, groaning as he pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms. “What the fuck?” He trudged down the hallway, into the living room to the front door and peered through the peep hole. He let out a low, growling, “Fuuuuuuuuckkkkkk,” which drew Emily out of the bedroom.

“What is it?' she asked sleepily as she pulled his bathrobe around her shoulders.

Oakley rolled his eyes towards the door. “Guess.” He undid the deadbolt and opened the door. Dina was standing there. She was beautiful and Emily could see what might have initially attracted Oakley to her. She was all curves, the perfect hourglass figure poured into a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a snug, nearly button-bursting shirt and a pair of dangerously high heels. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a pony tail at the back of her head, soft tendrils of curl around her face. She had gray eyes, catlike and rimmed with kohl, long lashes, and thick lips painted a deep red. They'd had three days of bliss, hoping Dina had gotten the message and had resumed her own life. 

She barged her way in, pushing past him, and sat down on the sofa. “What the hell?” yelled Emily.

Dina scrunched her nose in disdain at Emily and shook her head. Turning her attention to a stunned Oakley, she sneered, “Oakley, babe, I figured you would do better than this.” She motioned to Emily. “She's so common.”

“Excuse me?” Emily began to fly at her, her hand outstretched to slap Dina, but Oakley stopped her, intercepting her and holding her in the middle of the room.

“Shhh, Darling,” he whispered. “She's not worth it.” He kissed Emily's nose despite the look of despair she was giving him. He turned to Dina and asked, “What's the meaning of this? How did you find me?”

Dina sat up and adjusted her shirt, unbuttoning it just enough so that she could push her cleavage out towards him. With a Cheshire Cat smile, she drawled, “Oakley, darling, I have my ways, besides, I already told you. I have been miserable without you.” She curved her plump lips into a pout. “I don't care what I have to do to be with you. I will overcome any obstacle.” Dina shot a look of disgust at Emily.

Emily pushed against Oakley. “Oakley,” she grunted. “Just let me get in one good pop.”

He chuckled, but leaned close to her ear and, in all seriousness whispered, “No, I can't let you do that. Dina is the kind of person who would press assault charges. She knows people in high places and would almost guarantee we'd never see each other again.” He drew back and stared into her eyes. “Believe me, trust me.”

Emily relaxed. “How do we get rid of her, then?”

Oakley smiled and leaned in to kiss her, passionately embracing her and pulling her even closer to him. “I love you,” he said, his voice just loud enough for Dina to hear. 

They heard Dina scoff. “You call it love, do you?” she said. “What qualifies it as love? You and I had love, we have a daughter.”

It was the last straw for Oakley. He turned around to face her, Emily's arms still circling his torso. “No, you have a daughter,” he spat. “Since you saw fit to make sure that she knows nothing about me and never gave me the opportunity to be a father.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his hands grasping Emily's. “Dina, we did not have love, we had convenience and a volatile concoction of sex and abuse.”

Dina shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the mention of sex. “It was love,” she countered.

Reading her body language, Oakley chortled, “Ha! So that's it.”

“What?” Dina tried to play innocent and batted her eyelashes at him.

“It's not love you want. Does that husband of yours not satisfy you? You call it love when you left me, pregnant with my child?” he accused. “And do you call it love when you married another man and told my daughter that she was his father? And how about now? It looks to me like you are confusing sex with love.”

Dina sat back, visibly wounded by Oakley's verbal assault. “It has been love all along.”

He shook his head. “Dina, you and I had some good times, but it was definitely not love.” He pulled Emily up beside him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Emily and I, well, we've been through Hell and back and this, this is love.”

Emily closed her eyes and leaned happily against him. “My Oakley,” she purred.

Standing from the sofa, Dina huffed and stomped towards the door. “Fine,” she growled. “I gave you a chance to come back. You remember that when this,” she pointed at Emily, “does not work out.” She opened the door forcefully enough that the handle left a dent in the wall and slammed it when she stormed out. “You'll regret this!” she yelled as she left.

“What does she mean by that?' Emily asked, looking up at Oakley. 

He shrugged. “It's probably one of her schemes,” he answered. “I honestly don't know, but I do think we should investigate getting some sort of restraining order.”

Emily squirmed uncomfortably. “Is it that serious?” she asked, concerned.

He wrapped himself around her again. “Let's just say that Dina and Josh would make quite the murderous couple. I wouldn't put it past her to want to hurt you.”

“Should I be frightened?” She shivered.

Oakley shook his head. “Not as long as I'm with you.” He leaned in to kiss her again, tipping her chin up and landing on her lips, nipping at them hungrily. She reciprocated by sliding her hands down his backside and squeezing his ass. “Oh, are we playing that game?” he hissed with a sly grin.

“Oh, we are,” she mouthed, her eyes set on his with renewed vigor.

With a chuckle, Oakley leaned down and grabbed her legs, hoisting them over his elbow while cradling her back against his other arm. He lifted her while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him while he carried her into the bedroom and laid her softly down upon the bed. He untied the robe and pulled it open to reveal her nakedness, her peaked bosom heaving, her sex beaded with arousal. “God, you're beautiful,” he gasped as he dove between her breasts, tongue sliding in the valley between them. His hands went under her head, tangling in her hair while he moved up to her lips, covering her body with his as he suckled first her breasts, then lips climbing to her neck.

She grasped the elastic of his pajama pants and slid them down over his hips, freeing his cock as much as she could, feeling the silken skin of it against her belly, his shaft pressed against her mound. She raked her nails up his back and into his curls, grasping them as she angled her hips up against him. “Take those off,” she said huskily. 

Oakley obliged, untangling his fingers from her hair and kneeling up enough to pull his pants all the way off before kicking them off the end of the bed. “Is that better?” he asked.

Emily reached down with one hand and circled him, bidding him gently toward her, pressing the head of his cock to her already engorged clit. “Much better,” she hissed, grinding herself on him.

“Oh, that's a dangerous game to play,” he growled, pulling her hand away before thrusting himself inside her with a grunt.

She keened, her hips bucking toward him. “Oh godddddd...” she moaned. She grasped his ass, her nails digging into the soft flesh there, leaving a series of red crescent moons in their wake. 

With a feral groan, Oakley thrust harder, sheathing himself entirely inside her, his tip hitting her innermost spot and nearly driving her up the bed. She responded with a wail and then a whimper as he pulled himself out most of the way. He knew she was already nearly at her peak, so he teased her, dipping himself inside just slightly, gyrating his hips as he did it, just giving her a little taste before pulling out again. He angled himself up on his hands, the muscles in his forearms flexing to keep himself steady as he hovered over her. He chuckled as she grasped him and tried to pull him into her, her hips raising up off the bed. “Oh, no, you don't,” he taunted. “Not yet.” 

She groaned in disappointment and sighed in resignation, scowling playfully at him. “Please?” she smiled.

“Not yet,” he answered. He lowered himself onto one forearm and slid his hand between them, his fingers walking their way over her mound and into her slit, coming to a rest on the tensile nerves there. He swirled around them, tapped and pressed. Leaning his head close to her ear, he growled, “Control yourself.”

Emily knew it would drive her crazy. She arched her back and shook her head, her eyes already beginning to roll back into her head. “I.... c...can't,” she keened as a wave of ecstasy crashed over her. Her hips rolled, pumping against him, against her own will, and she heard him laugh darkly as he increased the intensity of his ministrations. She was awash in bliss, floating with him, her body emanating warmth as she reached her peak. “Fuuuuuckkkk, Oakley!” she screamed.

“Come for me, Babe,” he groaned. He nipped her ear and flicked his tongue at the sensitive skin right below it and it was enough to send her over the edge.

Breath hitched and voice broken, Emily let go, her entire being seized with pleasure, her walls tightening around him, her legs wrapping around him, thighs holding him with her paroxysm. “Oakley!!!!” she rasped. “Oh, fuck, Oakley!!!”

As she relaxed, a ragdoll in his arms, he felt himself become undone. He thrust himself entirely into her, his hands slid down to hold her ass, his chest pressed against hers more with each stroke, his hands feeling her muscles tighten with each one as he fucked her, until his cock twitched and sent the hot spurt of his pleasure into her. “Em...” he groaned. “Goddddddamnnnnn...” He shuddered with his final release and pulled his hands from her, bracing himself above her on his forearms. “God, I love you,” he smiled as he kissed her nose.

“Don't be cute,” she grinned. “I love you, too, you goof.”


	12. Chapter 12

Oakley walked out of the garage on high spirits, joking with John and a couple of the other guys about the last football game, teasing the odd man out because his team lost. It was all in fun. As he bid them goodbye, he headed to his car and his good mood evaporated. All four tires on his car had been slashed. "Fuck!" he yelled in frustration. The shop was closed, the boss having left when the rest of them did, locking up securely behind them. He hit his hand on the hood and seethed, wondering who would have done that, afraid to know the answer.

Emily would be expecting him home soon and Oakley knew there was no way he would get there quickly, so he pulled his phone out and dialed her number. It rang several times and went to voice mail. He assumed maybe she couldn't get to her phone, so he waited and called a cab before attempting to teach her again. Still no answer. He reasoned that, perhaps, she had left it on silent again, as she had a habit of doing when she went to work. This was a day off. He figured he would try again once the driver arrived, assuming she'd have realized he was late and would at least look at her phone before calling to see where he was.

It began to rain before the cab arrived, drenching Oakley to the bone. He shivered, his curls stretched out and hanging in his face, dripping in his eyes. He had failed to wear a coat and his clothes were soaked by the time the cab had arrived. When he had gotten safely inside the car, Oakley pulled his phone out of his pocket and flicked it on. There were no missed calls and he began to worry. He dialed her number again. "Em, Darling, I guess you left your phone off. I'm running a bit late. I've got a cab bringing me home. I'll tell you why when I arrive, I love you." It was nearly an hour past the time he would normally have gotten home, and the fact that he couldn't get hold of Emily and that she hadn't called him in a panic worried him. He could do nothing but fidget and stare out the window at the gray, muddled landscape, made impressionist by the droplets upon the window.

Once he'd arrived home, he trudged up the stairs to the door, hand ready to turn the knob, pulling it back like the metal was hot when he realized the door was slightly ajar. With a tenuous gesture, he pushed it open. "Em," he called. There was no response. "Emily?" As the door swung fully open, he stepped in. Emily's phone was there on the table, its screen off, but the light up top indicating she had missed calls. Her purse, too, untouched on its hook in the entry way. But she was not there. He wandered through the flat, checking every room to see if he could find anything amiss. There was nothing. No Emily, nothing to indicate why she wasn't there. She had been in the middle of preparing something to eat, that much was apparent by the knife with mustard on it in the sink, the half-made sandwich on the cutting board, now a pile of mushy bread, dry-looking tomato and wilted lettuce. He had a sinking feeling.

Oakley picked up Emily's phone and called her mother. When the woman answered, he asked if she had heard from Emily that day and she said no and asked what happened. He told her what he had found and her response was, "I'll be right there." He hadn't wanted to unnecessarily worry her, but he knew that when she'd had her mind made up, nothing would sway her. 

His next call was to the police, reporting that he had tried to call Emily and what he'd found when he arrived home. There was very little they could do, save sending an officer to check out the flat. They suggested he call her friends and family to see if she had gone off with someone she knew. There was no reason to tell them she really had none, except her mother.

Impatiently, he sat on the sofa and waited for the officer to arrive, his mind creating scenarios that he didn't want to think about, his sensibility avoiding the worst ones. He imagined Josh had been released from jail and had found them, though he knew that was impossible, since the flat was in his name, and Josh had no idea what it was. The other possibilities made him shudder. 

By the time Emily's mother had arrived, Oakley was deep in the investigation with the officer that had been sent. They had already looked through the call history on Emily's cell phone and, finding nothing untoward there, proceeded to write a list of all her known friends, family and associates from work. When the officer had asked of Emily had anyone who would want to harm her, Oakley withheld nothing, telling him about her troubles with Josh as well as their own troubles with Dina. "I even had my tires slashed today at work," Oakley lamented. "Do you think that's got anything to do with it?" 

They were outside, dusting Oakley's car for fingerprints when she pulled up. "Oakley," she called as she got out of the car, "Have they found anything? Have you heard from her?"

"No," he answered sadly. "Nothing." He stood up from his hunched position next to the officer and walked to her, enveloping her in a hug. "I can't lose her." His eyes were filled with worry and tears.

"Don't you worry, dear, we'll find her." She patted him on the arm before handing him a tissue from out of her purse.

"Thanks, Mrs. Hall." He took the tissue from her and dabbed his reddened eyes.

She smiled, though it was only a half smile. "I think you've earned the right to call me Amanda."

When the officer had finished collecting what he needed to collect, he announced, "Well, I'll take these back to the lab and have them analyzed. If you hear anything from her or about her, call me." He handed Oakley a card from his pocket, got into his car and drove away.

Oakley felt helpless and couldn't imagine how Emily's mother felt. The woman seemed lost, her only daughter missing, no clues to help her along. "Do you know who could have done this?" she asked Oakley as they trudged up to the flat. "Who would harm my Emily?"

"I have some suspicions," Oakley answered. He didn't want to worry Amanda by telling her about Dina, but he knew he should. There was no way to avoid it. As they sat down in the living room, he pulled out his wallet and showed her the photo of Annaliese, beginning his tale. "A few days ago, Dina came by and threatened us," he finished with. "We wanted to get a restraining order, but were told that a threat like that was not enough reason to grant one."

"Have you tried calling this Dina?" Amanda asked.

He nodded. "The phone number I had for her says it has been disconnected." 

The two of them ordered out and tried to distract themselves from talk of Emily and, when the time came to turn in, Oakley settled Amanda into the guest bedroom while he slept fitfully on the sofa, unable to sleep in his own bed with his love absent. 

In his dreams, he could only imagine the worst and he woke up every couple of hours in cold sweats, enough so that he gave up sleeping altogether and decided to go for a walk. It was silent outside, except the hum of various insects, and chilly enough that a fine dew having set upon everything. It was nearly dawn and, as the sun began to rise on the horizon, Oakley allowed himself to do what he had never been able to do. He knelt down on the gravel road and sobbed. He had never felt so helpless, so frightened, not even during his tribulations with Dina and meeting and then losing Annaliese. While the tears were cathartic, they did nothing to staunch the worry he felt. In his heart, he knew Dina was somehow involved and he hoped that she wouldn't do anything rash.

As he began to walk home, his phone rang, its tone disturbing the peaceful surroundings with a cacophonous bell. He fished it out of his pocket by the second ring and answered, not even looking to see if he recognized the number. "Hello," he said breathlessly. There was the sound of machinery on the other end and faint voices. "Hello, who's this?" he asked again.

"Oakley!" The faint voice on the phone sounded like Emily. "Oakley, help!" And then the line went dead.

He pulled the phone from his ear and tried to call the number back, but it came up on his phone only as "Anonymous." He sprinted back to his flat and flew up the stairs, throwing open the door to reach the card the officer had given him. He dialed the number, his fingers still cold and numb, his body simultaneously too warm in the stifling atmosphere of the flat and chilled from the phone call and the morning dew. "Hello?" the officer answered groggily.

"This is Oakley, I've had a call," he managed to get out before collapsing onto the sofa. "She called for me, for help."

"I'll be right over," the officer answered.

Amanda shuffled sleepily from the guest bedroom, clad in a oversized chenille bathrobe and matching slippers. "What happened?" she yawned.

"There's been a call," he answered. "She yelled for help before whoever called me hung up." He hadn't realized how exhausted he was until he was seeing double. "Amanda, I'm scared." He leaned his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes. "I've never been so scared." It was the first time he had ever admitted anything like that to anyone and he began to shake. 

Amanda sat next to him and ran her hand over his head, petting him like a mother would a young child. "She'll be alright," she cooed. "Our Emily will be alright." Of course, she didn't entirely believe it herself, but Amanda had recognized the first time she'd met him that he had spent far too little time in the presence of a motherly figure. She knew he had no family, from what Emily had told her, and knew that now was the time he needed family more than ever. "You know, I think she would laugh at us how we are right now."

He raised his head and opened his eyes, looking at her. "How so?"

With a sad chuckle, she explained, "When Emily was little, she had a brother. Keith. He was a charmer, like you. He was older, my firstborn."

"What happened?" Oakley was intrigued by her story, something Emily had never told him. As far as he had known, she was an only child.

Amanda took a deep breath. "He got sick. Leukemia. He passed when she was nine and he was twelve." A wistful tear squeezed from her eye. "You actually remind me a lot of him. I actually urged Emily to give you a chance for that reason. You reminded me of him."

Oakley's eyebrows knitted together with concern. "I'm sorry, Amanda, I didn't mean..." He was at a loss for more words.

She patted his head. "It's alright. I'm at peace with it." Giving him a sad smile, she said, "I always hoped Emily would find someone like you."

"Well, thank you," he answered. "Though I don't think you'd have liked me much in my youth."

"Oakley," she sighed, "Son, I think I would have liked you no matter what. That's the nature of the beast. Nobody can resist that charm." She reached up and pinched his cheek, making him smile.

The officer arrived a few minutes later, a tech tagging along behind him. They took Oakley's phone, modified it to fit a recording device and procured his signature allowing them to get his call records from his service provider in an effort to pinpoint where the call had come from. They didn't have to wait long. 

Before the ink was dry, Oakley's phone rang again and "Anonymous" flashed on the screen. When the officer nodded, he answered it. "Hello?"

The background noise was the same as before, all industrial noise and static. "Oakley!" Emily cried in the distance. 

"Emily!" he yelled into the phone, hoping she could hear him. The line went dead.


	13. Chapter 13

Emily was alone and scared, bound against a rough wooden column, blindfolded, shivering. Her head ached from the blow that had been used to subdue her and it made her ears ring. She had no idea where she was but, judging by the noises around her, she guessed somewhere industrial. After she had been there a few hours, she heard someone enter, heard the crunch of their footsteps against gravel and cement as they approached. Without a word, they pried her mouth open and tipped a bottle of water against her lips. She was parched and drank greedily until the water was gone. “Can I please have something to eat?” she whimpered when the bottle was pulled away, feeling the wrench of hunger twist her gut. There was no answer, except the sound of boots walking back away from her. She hung her head and sobbed, longing for Oakley, wanting to feel his arms around her.

She slept, hanging uncomfortably from the post, her arms and shoulders aching from the gravity, her neck stiff. When she woke, she could hear the slight sloshy sound of water, the fog horn in the distance, and knew she was somewhere near the sea. There was a noise, wooden doors being jolted, and then steps again approaching her. Her mouth was opened, she thought by the same person judging by their touch, and a water bottle was held against her lips again. When she had finished drinking, she pleaded, “I need to use the loo.” With a grunt, the person loosened the ropes that bound her to the post and roughly pulled her by the ropes that bound her wrists to a far corner of the building. She got the idea that this was as good as it would get, so with great struggle she was able to lift up her skirt, pull her panties out of the way, squat and urinate. She could hear the sound of it hitting a metal grate and draining into a pit, perhaps some sort of storm drain. When she was able to stand and right herself, she called, “Ok.” She was pushed back to the post, her arms raised and tied once again. “Can I please have my arms down? My hands are numb,” she said.

There was the sound of a cell phone being dialed from the other side of the building and it ricocheted off the walls, landing on Emily's ears. The phone on the other line rang and she heard his voice. “Hello?” he answered. Oakley, her Oakley. 

She took a deep breath and yelled for him and then another deep breath and she yelled for help. Before she heard him speak again, the phone was turned off with a beep. “No!” she wailed. A hand smacked her across the face to silence her. She whimpered at the sting that grew across her skin. 

The person opened the door again and then locked her in. She was once again alone, completely empty, not sure if the ache she felt was from heartbreak or hunger. She slumped as much as the bindings would allow, her back pressed uncomfortably against a rugged corner. There was no way out of it, she thought. Her destiny was to die there, cold and alone. After all she'd been through. Unless she was rescued.

A while later, she was awakened again by the cries of seagulls outside and the loud clanking of cranes hoisting shipping containers. The door was opened again followed by the now-familiar sound of footsteps. But, this time, there was no water. “You shouldn't have interfered,” came a voice. It was gruff, someone she didn't recognize.

“Please, let me go,” she cried. “I'll do anything.” 

There was no verbal answer, only the sound of the cell phone again. When he answered, she yelled, “Oakley, help me!”

“Emily!” he yelled back. It made her heart leap. 

The phone was thrown against the wall, shattering and sending her into tears. “No, please,” she sobbed. “Why are you doing this?”

Once again, her answer was the retreat of footsteps and the slamming of the door. Her tears flowed free and fast, soaking the front of her blouse, making her shiver even more with the cold breeze that blew through the building. She knew there was to be no more phone calls, no more help. But she resigned herself to survive for herself, for Oakley.

***

 

The knock on the door was not what Oakley expected. He opened it, anticipating the detective, wanting there to be news of Emily. Instead, it was Dina. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked venomously when she pushed her way in.

Dina stood on tip toes and kissed him lightly. “Way to greet the love of your life,” she said cattily, walking into the living room.

Oakley held the door. “Dina,” he growled, “Get the fuck out.” 

“Why would I want to do that?” She smiled at him and batted her lashes before pouting at him. “Don't you love me?”

Amanda had heard their voices and walked into the living room, coming to stand just behind Dina. “Well, what do we have here?” she asked.

Dina spun around to face her, her jaw dropping. “Who...?” she stuttered.

“You must be Dina,” Amanda held her hand out. “I'm Emily's mother.”

Backing away, Dina shook her head. Gathering her wits about her, she straightened her back. With her confidence restored, she leaned back toward Amanda and grasped her hand. “I see you've heard of me,” she grinned, shooting a wicked glance toward Oakley. 

Amanda's grip on her hand tightened. “As a matter of fact, I have,” she said, her voice filled with accusation. She pulled Dina closer. “Let's get this straight,” she growled. “Oakley has already asked you to leave and I believe my daughter had also asked you to stay out of their lives. Now I'm asking you. Now are you going to leave nicely or do I need to get mean?”

Dina's eyes filled with fear. “Fuck you, lady,” she spat. “I love Oakley and he loves me. We have a child.”

Oakley stepped in, trying to diffuse the situation. “Dina, you're delusional,” he sighed. “I don't love you. Now, do you have anything to do with Emily's disappearance?”

Dina shook her head. “No,” she answered. “Maybe she decided to leave your sorry ass like I did.” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with spite. “What happened, Oakley, did your temper finally get the best of you? Did you show her who you really are?” she taunted.

Amanda looked at him, a pall of doubt clouding her eyes. “Oakley?” she said quietly.

Dina was able to get her hand away from Amanda. “Yeah, I bet that's what happened. You got rough and she left.” She thrust her face into his before wrapping her arms around his neck and licking his ear. “That's what turns me on about you,” she whispered.

He pushed her away, the force of which sent her crashing into the coffee table. For a moment, she lay limp, her body at an uncomfortable angle against the oak. As she stirred, Oakley let out a sigh of relief. She sat up and pulled the hair out of her face. “Dina, get out before you do anything either one of us will regret,” he commanded as she stood up.

“No,” she said curtly. “I think that little stunt would be categorized as assault. And, given our history together, I think the authorities would agree.” She looked at him smugly.

“You seem to have forgotten something,” Amanda said. “This time, I'm here. And that definitely wasn't assault.”

“The bruises on my back say something else,” Dina countered.

Amanda stepped closer to her, her powerful stride placing her right in front of Dina. “Listen, you twat, I don't know who you think you're dealing with, but nobody messes with my family.” She grabbed Dina by the hair and dragged her screaming out the front door, throwing her down the stairs. Dina landed with a thump on her ass and shot a dirty look at Amanda and Oakley. “Now, when someone asks you nicely to leave, I suggest you do it,” Amanda shouted. 

As Dina stood up, shakily using the banister to support herself, the detective entered the foyer. “Are you alright, Miss?” he asked, concerned with her state.

“Arrest these people,” Dina screamed, pointing at Amanda and Oakley. “They assaulted me and tried to kill me by tossing me down the stairs.”

“And why would they do that?” He seemed genuinely concerned with her welfare until she answered, “He and I are in love...”

Astutely, he asked, “You wouldn't happen to be Dina Martinero, would you?”

“Yes,” she replied apprehensively.

He shot a knowing glance at Oakley before grasping Dina's wrists. “In that case, Miss, you are under arrest under suspicion in the kidnapping of Emily Hall.” With his other hand, he pulled a pair of handcuffs off his belt and secured her wrists behind her back.

“No, I didn't do anything,” she protested.

“We know that the phone used to call was registered to you,” he said. “Where is she?”

Dina's face contorted from innocence to evil. “You'll never find her,” she spat. With a shriek, she was dragged from the building and shoved unceremoniously into a police car.

Oakley and Amanda sped down the stairs just in time to see the door slam. “What news is there?” Oakley asked, stepping in front of the detective.

The detective shook his head. “I'm afraid not much. The last call sounded like she was in an industrial area, but that doesn't narrow it down much. This whole place has industrial all around it.”

“What about Eduardo?” Oakley's eyes pleaded with him. 

“No,” the detective answered, “He has a strong alibi. He was already back in his home in Madrid when Emily was taken.” Looking back at Dina in the car, he continued, “Unless Dina gives us something, we may not find Emily.”

The news came as a blow to Oakley, hitting him in the gut as surely as a fist and he reeled, caught only by Amanda. “We'll find her,” Amanda whispered, trying hard to reassure him.

Together, they watched the detective get in the car and drive away, Dina sitting smugly despite her situation.

“I've got to do something to find her,” he said. “I can't just sit here and wait for the police to feed me information.” 

Amanda patted his back. “I understand,” she sighed. “I feel helpless, myself.”

Already exhausted, they climbed the stairs and went back in the flat. As he sat down on the sofa, Oakley grabbed Emily's phone and fiddled with it, browsing her photos, seeing the last one of them, the selfie they had taken off the balcony with the sunset behind them, happy, smiling, in love. “I can't lose her,” he sniffled. “She's my everything.” As he continued scrolling, he saw her contacts and there saw the name “Josh.” She had never deleted his number. With caught breath, he clicked on the icon and held the phone up to his ear. For all he knew, Josh was still in jail for his assault of her, but, then again, maybe he wasn't. The phone rang a few times before going to voicemail. Oakley hung up. It was a dead end, but he figured it didn't hurt to try. With a sigh, he set her phone back down on the table.

He sat for just a moment longer before standing and pacing the floors again. “Oakley, you'll do Emily no good with the state that you're in,” Amanda reasoned. “She needs you to be strong for her.”

“I need to help her somehow,” he grumbled. Looking over at her, he asked, “How?”

Amanda shrugged. “Well, short of visiting Dina and giving her what she wants, I don't see how,” she answered. “Unless you're planning on going to each and every industrial building around and hunting for her.”

His eyes lit up. “That's it!” he announced. “Amanda, can I borrow your car?”

She hesitated. “I... I suppose so,” she responded. “Where are you going?”

“To find Emily.” He grabbed her car keys from the table near the door, threw on his coat and ran out the door.


	14. Chapter 14

“I'd like to see Detective Weatherly,” Oakley said when he approached the desk. 

The officer who sat there smiled and motioned toward a closed door. “He's in there,” he answered. “Be a few minutes, if you don't mind waiting.” Oakley nodded and sat down in one of the Naugahyde covered chairs on the opposite wall. He glanced around at his surroundings, musing to himself that the last time he'd even been in a police station was the night he'd been arrested for driving drunk and crashing his father's precious car. That was the last night he'd seen his father before his death and he'd been stuck in the drunk tank, his father berating him for his stupidity in front of God and the world and then refusing to bail him out. He'd hated him for that. Hell, he'd hated his father for more than that, but it was the icing on the cake. Only now did he grasp what his father had been trying to get through to him all those years ago and the memories stung.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. There was a girl at the other end of the bank of chairs that was staring at him with great interest. He smirked at her and leaned on his hand, resting it against the hard wooden armrest, hoping she would find something more interesting to watch. When he looked up again, she had sat down in the seat beside him. She couldn't have been more than sixteen and she was dressed provocatively, low-cut black top leaving little to the imagination, short red skirt with a slit that nearly revealed everything, thigh-high boots with stilettos. “Hi,” she said quietly and waited for his response.

Oakley nodded to her. “Hey.”

She leaned closer. “Listen, if you have any time after this...”she purred.

He stood up and held his hands back. “Whoa, whoa,” he said,”I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm not the man for that.”

“Hey, Shay, get back to the end there or I'll have to put you in a cell,” the officer behind the desk reprimanded. He rose from the desk and began walking towards her and she quickly leaped to her original seat. Turning to Oakley, he apologized, “I'm so sorry about that. She's a juvenile delinquent, caught prostituting herself and we're waiting for her representative to come get her.” He shrugged with an apathetic smile.

“No worries,” Oakley replied, running his fingers nervously through his hair. “Any idea when the detective will be available?”

The officer shook his head just as the office door opened. A woman dressed in black, face covered by a blue scarf, emerged from the office and skittered out the door, not giving so much as a glance at anyone around her. “Oakley?” the detective said upon spying him standing there.

Oakley approached him and extended his hand. “Thanks so much for meeting with me,” he said as the officer shook his hand.

“Well,” the detective sighed, “I suppose you're feeling pretty helpless right now.” When Oakley nodded, he continued. “Why don't we come inside my office and talk for a while.” He guided Oakley into the room and shut the door once he had sat down and made himself comfortable. “Is there anything else you can tell us about Emily, her past or your past that might help us?” he asked as he sat in his own chair on the opposite side of the desk.

“Nothing I haven't already told you,” Oakley replied. “Josh is presumably still in jail awaiting trial and Dina is the only other person that I can imagine would want to hurt Emily. You've talked to her, haven't you?”

Detective Weatherly cleared his throat and began to fidget. “About Dina,” he said. “We're not entirely sure she's responsible.”

“How's that?” Oakley asked incredulously. “She all but admitted it when you arrested her.”

“There have been certain, um, developments that have come to light and she's been released for the time being.” The detective leaned his elbows on the desk.

“Released?” Oakley could barely breathe. “Released?” He felt his guts churn and he began to break out in a cold sweat. “Can I get a restraining order?”

“I can do that for you.” The detective reached into his desk and pulled out a file. “You just have to fill this out. Now keep in mind, you're just as responsible for not violating the order as she is.” He handed it to Oakley. “Now, before you do this, you should be aware that Dina was the woman who was in my office when you arrived.”

Oakley dropped the document. “Wait... she's the only one who can tell us where Emily is.” He stood up from the chair. “Do you have a way to contact her?”

“We do.” The detective pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. “I didn't give this to you.”

Curiously, Oakley cocked an eyebrow at him. “Detective, are you saying....?”

“As an officer of the law, my hands are tied. We haven't enough evidence at the moment to hold her.” He crossed his arms and leaned back. “However, if you were to persuade her in some way...”

“I see.” Oakley winked knowingly at him. “Is there anything you would like me to do? Wear a wire?”

“If you'd consent to one.” A broad smile spread across Detective Weatherly's face. “I feel you would be our best bet to finding Emily. After all, you are the one who Dina is after.”

***

 

Emily felt fatigued, more than she had ever before. Her lack of food and water made her body begin to shut down, fueling from its own reserves. There had been no one back to the building since the cell phone had been thrown. She had managed to use her arm to scoot the blindfold from her eyes just enough to get a peek at her surroundings. She was in a warehouse, unused for a long time. Its windows were dingy and green, walls had patches of browned moss growing on them. The floor was cement as she had suspected, covered in a thin layer of crushed gravel, most likely brought in as detritus on the wheels of trucks when the place was in operation. There was a stand of heavy-duty machinery near her, rusted and decrepit, for processing what, she didn't know. Large chains and hooks hung from the ceiling rafters. There was nothing that looked like a means to escape.

She had tried yelling and screaming for help as the day wore on, and occasionally she heard the sounds of men's voices carrying through the warehouse, but none of them seemed to hear her cries, or at least respond to them. Each failure was a blow to her spirit and, eventually, she gave up, her mouth dry, throat scratchy and raw, her head achy, her body exhausted.

For a while, she attempted to break the ropes tying her to the post by rubbing them against the rough edge, but it only managed to tighten her bindings and chafe at her wrists. There seemed to be no way to save herself. In desperation, she relaxed against the post and let herself try to sleep, forcing herself to dream of Oakley, to pretend she was in his arms and safe. 

***

 

Hours later, fitted with a wire, Oakley rushed from the station. He looked at the address on the paper the detective had given him and tried to map out the directions in his head. He was going to drive himself, but tailed by Detective Weatherly in a van that would be recording the whole interaction, so he climbed behind the wheel of Amanda's car and pulled out. 

Dina's address was only a few blocks from the station, but it felt like a much longer drive because of his nerves. He was filled with revulsion at what he needed to do, but he knew it was the only way he could find Emily. Once he was near the building, he found a parking spot and pulled the car in. He saw the van in the rear view pull into another stall and Detective Weatherly waved to him from the window. Before he climbed out of the car, Oakley turned on the device he had strapped to his chest. “Testing,” he said quietly.

“I hear you,” came the answer. “You are clear to proceed.”

Oakley gave a thumbs-up as he exited the vehicle and proceeded towards the door of the flat. He closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself together before ringing the bell. With a deep breath, he pushed his finger to the button and waited. An older woman answered the door. “What do you want?” she asked, her eyes already accusing him of something.

“Is Dina available?” he asked softly.

The woman shook her head. “There's no Dina here,” she seethed. He could tell she was lying by the way her eye twitched as she glared at him.

“Listen,” he sighed. “I know she's here. Just tell her Oakley came to see her.” 

He had resigned himself to failure at this particular mission and had turned away from the door, stepping down the sidewalk when he heard Dina's voice. “Oakley!” she called from inside. As he turned around, she appeared behind the old woman. “It's okay, Mrs. S.” she said.

The woman moved out of the way and let him in. “Dina, I...” he stuttered. “I've had second thoughts.” The words tasted bad coming out of his mouth, but he continued. “I'm sorry about what happened earlier, with Emily's mum, with us, with everything. Do we have somewhere private we can go?”

Dina's expression softened, but her eyes sparkled triumphantly. As soon as he began talking, she was resisting the urge to completely throw herself at him. With reserve, she smiled, “I was waiting for you to come to your senses.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the narrow staircase. “We can go to my room.” She led him up the stairs and into a room at the end of the dark hallway, facing the back of the building. It's windows faced the bleak brick of another building. “It's not much, but I'm only letting it for as long as I'm being told not to leave.” 

Oakley sat down on the sagging bed in the center of the room and patted the spot next to him. “You better sit down,” he said, hoping he was believable.

Smiling and cocking her head, Dina took his invitation and settled down next to him, her hand coming to rest on his thigh. “Darling,” she crooned, “I hope you are saying what I think you are saying.”

He closed his eyes and nodded his head. “I've had some time to think,” he said, “And, the thing is, I do miss you.” Opening his eyes, he saw her smile get broader. “It's you that I want to be with, who I always have wanted to be with.”

“Oh, Oakley!” she cried, her eyes damp with tears. “I never thought I would hear you say that ever again!” She wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him into a deep kiss. 

He wanted to pull away, to peel her from him like a scab, but he knew he couldn't. He had to be believable, so he imagined Emily and threw himself into the kiss. With a moan, he pierced the space between her lips with his tongue and ran it along the familiar plane of hers. His heart and mind belonged to Emily and Emily only, but his body remembered Dina's touch, the excitement, the pleasure, the passion and he felt himself stir as she ran her hand down his side and over the top of his jeans. “Dina,” he gasped.

She leaned away. “What's wrong, Oakley, don't you love me?” Her eyes were already accusing him.

“It's not that,” he began to backpedal. “I do, it's just...” He glanced down at his lap, willing the swell that had grown there to go down. “We can't be together until Emily is safe. Her mum will never let me alone.”

Dina nodded. “I see.” She hadn't quite noticed his excitement yet. “So, until she is found, we can't be together?”

Oakley nodded. “It wouldn't feel right.” His eyes flicked back to Dina's. “Where is she?”

With a chuckle, Dina smiled slyly. “I know what you're doing and it's not going to work.” She stood up and sat on his lap, straddling him and pinning him to the bed. “Here's my counter. You fuck me and I'll tell you where she is.” She writhed over him, her skirt hitched up enough to give him a view of her creamy thighs. She leaned in and kissed him, running her fingers nimbly down his spine like she knew he liked. “Prove to me you love me,” she hissed.

Oakley felt himself stir once again and clenched his eyes shut, willing himself away, but it didn't work. He felt himself slipping with each and every touch. “Dina, I can't,” he said. “I need to know where she is.”

Dina slid from his lap and knelt between his legs, her working on the button of his jeans, then the zipper, releasing his cock that pressed the fabric of his boxers out. She slid the elastic down over it, with a sigh. “God, I've missed this. You always did have the most marvelous cock.” He tried to squirm away as she licked the tip of it and then ran her tongue along it before covering it with her entire mouth.

“Dina, no,” Oakley moaned. “I can't.” He tried to pull her off, but she started to clench down with her teeth. “Please.” 

Dina hummed as she worked him and felt him begin to lose control. As she released him, she laughed, “I see Little Oakley remembers me.” She slid her panties off as she held her hand on Oakley's chest and felt the bump from the wire. “What the fuck?” she asked as she reached under his shirt to reveal the mechanism. “You were recording me?” She seemed amazed that he would even attempt something like that.

“I need to know where Emily is,” he said, moving from under her grip and standing up. “Tell me, please.” He shoved himself back into his jeans and closed them. 

In a huff, Dina sneered, “Never. She'll rot where she's at, fodder for the fishes.”

In his earpiece, Oakley heard Detective Weatherly say, “That's it, we've got it.” In a matter of seconds, the detective had ascended the stairs and raided the room, locking Dina in handcuffs once again.

“Fuck you, Oakley,” she screamed as the other officer pulled her from he room.

“I've alerted the rest of my team and had them go to the old warehouses down by the shipping terminal,” Detective Weatherly told Oakley. “That would make sense of the sounds we heard on the call.”

Oakley nodded. “I'd like to go there with you, if you don't mind.”

“Absolutely.” The detective smiled, confident that Oakley and Emily would have their happy ending when he got a call on his radio. His eyes widened as he listened to it.

Oakley couldn't hear all of it, but what he got made his blood run cold. Among the fragments were, “Dina... escaped... possibly violent...”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am binge-writing this one today... there may be one or more chapters coming after this one, if I have time to write them.

There was a loud clank as something metallic hit the side of the warehouse and it woke Emily from her sleep. Her head was swimming and she was seeing double, the haze from her exhaustion taking over and numbing her senses. She could have swore that she heard footsteps, but she didn't trust herself. For the last day and a half, she had been hallucinating, imagining things that weren't there. She would see Oakley smiling at her, hear her mother's voice telling her to keep calm. The footsteps, she rationalized, were most likely, if not a figment of her imagination, the sound of rats skittering across the floor.

She tried to turn her head, but her neck was too stiff from being held in one position in the long hours. She could no longer feel her hands, except the cold absence of them as she tried to wiggle her fingers. Her back was sore from hanging. Her feet hurt from trying to kick against the pole and her toes from trying to grasp the floor to free herself during her first hours of incarceration. There was nothing that didn't hurt.

As the haze from her sleep wore off, she heard concretely the sound of the door creaking open and then footsteps across the floor. These were lighter than the ones before, with a quicker step. A shadow loomed in her peripheral vision and wavered there for a moment. “Hello, is someone there?” she asked, feigning still being blindfolded. “Hello?” Her voice was scratchy and broken.

The figure moved in front of her and regarded her for a moment. “I underestimated you,” a voice said. It was smooth and smoky. “You've survived longer than I had anticipated.” Emily gasped. It was Dina. “And you've got a much stronger hold on him than I thought you would.” Dina reached up and grasped the blindfold, ripping it roughly from Emily, making her head spring back against the pole with a sickening thud.

“Dina,” Emily pleaded. “Let me go. You can have him, just let me go.” Her heart hurt as she said it, but her survival instinct told her it was the only way to assuage the madwoman in front of her and make it out alive.

Dina chuckled. “I'm afraid it's not that easy.” She reached up and tapped Emily's chest over her heart. “You see, I've been with Oakley and he's so hung up on you that even offering myself to him, seducing him failed.”

Emily couldn't help but feel proud of Oakley. “I'm sorry that happened,” she answered quietly. “If you really loved him, you'd let him go.”

“I do really love him,” Dena screeched. “He means everything to me!”

“What about Eduardo?” Emily was stalling, hoping that whatever Dina had planned could somehow be thwarted if she kept her talking. “He loves you.”

“He was a means to an end,” Dina snorted. “I married him for his money, he married me for my body.” She licked her lips and ran her hand down from her breast to her thigh as though to prove a point. “We were never meant to last.”

“I'm sorry,” Emily sighed.

“For what?” Dina scowled.

“That you think so little of yourself that you pimped yourself out like that.” She flinched as Dina's hand came sailing toward her, a slap clapping in echo throughout the warehouse as it made contact.

“You fucking bitch!” Dina spat. “Oakley has always been the love of my life. I only married Eduardo so I could make sure we wouldn't have to scrimp to survive, though I must admit to being wrong, seeing the place you two have been shacked up in.”

Emily's jaw hurt and her eyes stung from the tears that welled there. “Oakley said you were a mistake,” she coughed.

“The only mistake he made was not waiting for me,” Dina growled, spurred on by the volatile poison that welled within her. 

“How could you expect that of him when you left him and married another man?” Emily asked. She didn't expect to understand Dina's motivations.

Dina stared her down for a moment, perhaps gathering her wits for an answer. “We have a spiritual connection,” she answered. “He was supposed to know that I would love him and him alone. That's why I had his baby.” She took a deep breath. “I wanted to have a part of him forever.”

Sensing a way to tap into Dina's emotions, Emily said, “Tell me about Annaliese.”

Looking away, her eyes holding the promise of tears, Dina said, “She's beautiful. Blond curls, big blue eyes, just like her father. She got everything from Oakley that I love. I so wanted her to be like him. And she's intelligent, so smart and clever.”

“She sounds like a wonderful child.” Emily softened her voice, hoping it would help Dina see her as someone with emotions not unlike her own. “I wish I had gotten to know my baby.”

Dina looked at her suspiciously. “Did you and Oakley...” Her voice faded with the thought.

Emily shook her head as much as her stiff muscles would allow. “No, my ex.... I was pregnant...” she choked on the words, realizing that this was the first time anyone besides Oakley would know the truth. “He beat me and I lost the baby. I didn't even know I was pregnant until I had a miscarriage.”

For a moment, Dina held still, almost afraid to say anything. “I'm sorry,” she said quietly. It was the first time during the whole ordeal she had shown any sort of empathy. “How did you get away?”

“Oakley saved me,” Emily smiled. “And now Josh is in jail awaiting trial for attempted murder.”

Dina's eyes shot daggers at Emily. “How did he save you?” she huffed.

“He drove me to my place to get my stuff because I was going to stay in a hotel until I found somewhere to live,” Emily explained. “Josh was there and attacked me. Oakley heard me scream and came bursting through the door and beat Josh enough for us to escape. And he made me go to the hospital for my injuries when I thought I was fine.” A tear squeezed its way out of her eye.

“There was a time when Oakley wouldn't have done that for anyone,” Dina huffed, “Even me.” 

Emily shrugged, her shoulders aching. “People change.”

“I can see my task is that much more difficult, then,” Dina growled. “The only way that I'm going to keep Oakley for myself is to get rid of you. You see, he's under the delusion that he'll be able to save you again, that you're alive and that the police have enough information to find you.” Her words began to worry Emily. “But he's wrong, they're all wrong. They won't find you alive.” 

“Wait, no,” Emily cried. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion as she watched Dina pull a handgun out of the waistband of her skirt, having hidden it under the hem of her shirt.

Dina held the gun up and aimed. “Oakley is mine!” she screamed.

Emily lifted her feet up as best she could and tried to kick the gun out of Dina's hands, but only managed to knock the barrel from its direct trajectory. Dina squeezed the trigger and a bullet whizzed past Emily's ear, barely grazing the top of it. “Dina, stop, this is crazy!” Emily panicked. Her sudden movement had made her begin to swing on the pole with no way to stop herself. As she swung, she heard the sound of the ropes, pulled taut and scraping against the pole, then the slight jolt as the strands began to snap. She pumped her feet, trying to gain momentum, knowing that she would either free herself or at least move enough to keep Dina from focusing on her as a target. Another strand snapped, then another and another.

“Stop that!” Dina yelled, her hand reaching to stop Emily's momentum by grabbing and holding her shirt.

Emily kicked at her, hitting her right in the solar plexus and knocking the wind out of her momentarily. With her forward thrust, the rope broke completely, sending her crashing into Dina, the two of them in a heap on the floor. Emily groaned as her arms were finally not held above her head, her muscles simultaneously welcoming the change in position and rebelling against it. “He's not yours to keep,” she said, catching her own breath.

Dina struggled under Emily's weight and managed to push her off. She scrambled to grab her gun that had slid a few feet away and, while Emily struggled to right herself, stood over her, the barrel at point blank range over her heart. “You've said all you're going to say,” she growled.

There was a thump as the door swung open and hit the wall hard. “Drop the weapon, Dina!” came the command through a bullhorn.

“You won't shoot,” Dina taunted. “I'll shoot her first!” She smiled with gritted teeth at Emily.

“I repeat, drop the weapon.” The command came more clearly, more forcefully this time. “Let her go.”

“No! I will end this!” Dina screamed.

“Dina,” a familiar voice called. Emily was afraid she was hallucinating again. It sounded like Oakley. “Please, Dina, please.” It sounded like he was in tears.

“No, no, no,” Dina repeated. “You won't ever be mine as long as she's around.”

Oakley emerged from behind the officer with the bullhorn. “Dina, you can't.” He held his hands up. “Take me, but leave her alone. Let her go.”

Emily cried, “Oakley! No!” and kicked at Dina's leg while he had her attention. As Dina fell, her finger pulled the trigger and there was the sound of gunfire that came from where Oakley was standing. Emily felt a pain shoot through her shoulder and the woosh of blood in her head as she began to lose consciousness. It was like she was submerged in water, the events unfolding around her wavering in a viscous liquid, slowly forming. 

Oakley screamed, “Emily!” 

She tried to say something back to him, but her voice was muffled as Dina's lifeless body fell on top of her. Her last thought before she blacked out completely was of him, of them, their time together.

Oakley rushed over to where Emily was, pushing Dina's body off of her with a grunt. Emily was covered in blood. “Dear god, no,” he sobbed as he lifted up her limp form. She was breathing, but shallowly, her body showing the neglect that had been hers for the past few days. “Please, Darling, wake up,” he whispered in her ear as he rocked her. “You can't leave me. I love you.”

A paramedic team that had followed the police to the scene stood near him. “Sir, if she's got any chance of making it, we need to get her to the hospital,” one of them said. She placed her hand on his shoulder for reassurance.

“Can I come with her?” he asked softly, his eyes red with tears.

“I'm afraid not, but you can follow us with one of the officers if you need to.” Oakley nodded and she slid her arms under Emily's body, carefully helping her colleagues ease her onto a gurney. 

He held Emily's hand for a moment and kissed it. “Please come back to me, Darling,” he said, his voice broken by a sob as they wheeled her away.

Once Emily had left, he began to grasp the gravity of the situation. Dina was still there, her body crooked into an unnatural position, riddled with bullets, streaked with blood, caked with dirt and gravel. “My God, Dina, what have you done?” he asked her, though he knew she was already gone. 

Detective Weatherly walked across the expanse of he building to stand by his side. “You should go be with Emily,” he told Oakley. “Would you like me to drive you?”

Mutely, Oakley nodded. He glanced back at Dina as they left. “I never dreamed she'd go this far,” he said solemnly.

“I hate to tell you this, what with happened here and all,” the detective replied seriously. “But, we believe she may not have been working alone.”

Oakley's heart dropped. “What?”

“We found some strange withdrawals from her account from the last few days and we think she hired someone to kidnap and kill Emily.” He had stopped walking and placed a hand on Oakley's arm. “We've got guards for Emily just in case.”

“No,” Oakley whispered, collapsing against the building. “No.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for tonight... lots of feels...

It was as if their life had somehow rewound. Oakley sat vigil by Emily's side, waiting for her to wake up, to smile at him. He held her hand, his fingers playing with her ring, sliding over the facet of it, twisting it on her finger as if it were some magic switch that could suddenly wake her. He ate with her, slept on a cot next to her that the hospital had provided. His boss had granted him some paid time off from the garage so he could be with her. Each day, he left her side only long enough to go home, take a shower and get a clean change of clothes. It was enough that he was on a first-name basis with the officers that were assigned to guard her.

Amanda was there as well, visiting her daughter, helping Oakley with the daily exercises the nurses said would keep her from developing atrophy and help in her recovery. She commuted daily from her home in the neighboring town, arriving just after work each afternoon and leaving just before midnight each night. She and Oakley became thick as thieves for all their time together with Emily. 

They were a united front when it came time for the doctors to discuss treatment options. She was thriving, though she'd still not awakened, but her wounds were healing, her body no longer dehydrated. Her heart was strong. The shot had entered her shoulder and nicked her artery, enough that she lost a lot of blood, but not so severely that they couldn't repair it. Her mother had donated what blood she could, hers being the best match and, while Oakley couldn't help in that respect, he learned how to help bathe her from the nurses. They had decided, because she was doing well, she could be transferred from Critical Care to Intensive Care and remove the tubes she'd had running to her lungs as soon as she began to breathe on her own.

One afternoon, as Oakley made his way back to her room from his daily shower, he realized that the officers were no longer guarding her. As he peeked inside, he saw that everything in her room was as it should be. Emily was fine, all the monitors beeping in their usual manner. As he stepped inside and wound his way to her bedside, he recognized the figure of Detective Weatherly beside her. “Hello, detective,” Oakley greeted apprehensively. “What brings you here?”

The detective extended a hand and as Oakley shook it, he answered, “Oakley, we've caught him.”

Oakley breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that explains the lack of guards today,” he said. “Who is it?”

“Some poor schmuck who Dina met in a pub and paid off.” The detective shrugged. “Probably thought she'd be leaving with him when all was said and done. When we told him she was dead, he gave everything up, the money, the details, everything.” 

“Do you hear that, Darling?” Oakley asked Emily as he reached over and squeezed her hand. It was such a simple gesture, his touch, his words, his gentle manner with her.

“I have more news,” the detective said as he watched them. 

Oakley looked at him in expectation. “About?”

“Well, it seems, Dina left behind a daughter...” The detective's words began to form a lump in Oakley's throat. “You are listed as her father on her birth certificate.”

Oakley nodded. “Yes.”

“Eduardo Martinero wants nothing to do with the child.” The detective was watching Oakley intently. “He's said that he'd provide financial support for her. She's currently staying with Dina's mother.”

“Why doesn't he want her? He's practically raised her.” Oakley began to sweat.

“He prefers not to be reminded of his late wife in any way, shape or form. In fact, he has abandoned his home in Madrid, put it up on the market and relocated to an undisclosed location.” Detective Weatherly leaned forward onto the metal bar on the side of Emily's bed. “Would you like the chance to be a real father?”

Oakley felt the need to sit down. “Yeah,” he answered quietly. “But she doesn't know me.”

The detective nodded. “I know. If you are willing, we would ease you into her life. For now, Dina's mother has agreed to care for her, but she is unable to on a regular basis. She has some rather interesting medical conditions that require constant treatment. We would have you live with them for a week, get to know Annaliese again, her routine, her needs, then have her visit you for the weekend in your home for a few weeks and, if all goes well, within three months have her fully integrated.”

“You make her sound like a computer program,” Oakley sighed. “Are you sure that's all we need to do?”

“Speaking with the social service workers in our department, they've assured me this is how they handle cases like this, though usually the kids are coming back from government care.” He smiled at Oakley. “I'm glad you are agreeing to it.”

Amanda stepped into the room just as Detective Weatherly finished speaking. “Agreeing to what?” she asked curiously. “And where are the guards?”

Oakley filled her in and when he was done, he asked tearfully, “So what do you think I should do? I want to have Annaliese in my life, but I don't want to miss being here when Emily wakes up.” 

“Oakley, son,” she patted his arm, “You've had no time to be a father and your daughter is growing by the minute. Emily loves you and she will understand, even if she wakes up and you aren't here.” She looked at him with motherly love.

He smiled at her. “Amanda, you're a great source of wisdom. I'll only be gone a week and I'll bring Annaliese here to visit.” He was happy Amanda understood.

She returned a sad smile to him. “I lost Emily's father when she was young, he left shortly after my son died,” she mused, “If she could have had him return to her, she would have been the happiest girl around, but he never came back. Last I heard, he'd been in a wreck and died.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Emily had never told him about her father. He gave Amanda a hug. “I'm sorry.”

She wiped a tear from her eye. “You've got nothing to be sorry for,” she scoffed. “Now, when do you go?”

Oakley looked at the detective. “Good question.”

“As soon as we get the go-ahead from the girl's grandmother.” He nodded, proud of himself, proud of Oakley. “I'll make the arrangements myself.” He bowed slightly to Oakley and Amanda and left the room, leaving them to Emily.

Oakley grasped her hand once again. “Do you hear that, Darling? We're going to be parents.” He was excited for himself, excited for Emily, for all of them. “We'll have Annaliese with us and we can be a family.”

***

It was the next day that he left. He went home and showered, packing enough clothes in his duffel bag to last the week and put them in the back seat of his car. He was especially grateful now that he had traded in his old car, because, now that he would have Annaliese, he'd need the back seat and the four doors. He stopped at the hospital to visit Emily, to give her one more kiss before he left for the week, and was reassured by the nurses and her doctor that everything would be fine and that they would alert him of any changes made.

Oakley felt a sense of apprehension as he climbed back into his car for the two-hour drive to Dina's mother's house. He wasn't sure how he would be received. Sure, he had met the woman before, when he and Dina had been dating and they got along fine then, but that was before all of the events that led to Dina's death. He wasn't sure how she would take him now. When they'd spoken on the phone, she'd been cordial enough, but there was a monumental difference between a short conversation that wasn't face to face and living in the same space for seven days straight.

When he arrived, the house hadn't changed. It was still the same brick walk-up it had been, it's flower beds prim and proper, cared for by expert hands, the grass kept short, the trim painted and not one spot peeling or weathered. He knocked on the door and the woman answered the door cautiously. “Hello, Mrs. Andrews,” he greeted as she peered out at him.

She opened the door the rest of the way and a smile spread across her face. “Oakley, my boy!” she crowed, “I missed that smile of yours.” She shuffled out to the stoop and ushered him in before he could protest. She had not aged gracefully. In the time he had known her, she was petite, a smaller, slightly more plain version of Dina, same hair color, same eyes. Now, her hair had been cut short and bleached an unnatural shade of blond, her skin was wrinkled everywhere, sagging from her face in jowels, her back hunched slightly, making her shorter still.

“Nice to see you again, Mrs. A,” he said as she embraced him. “I'm sorry about Dina.”

As she let go of him and then pulled him into the living room, she answered, “My daughter was not right in the head. I'm sorry for what she did to you and to that lovely child.” She pointed to the corner and there sat Annaliese, quietly rocking in a miniature rocking chair, holding her favorite doll in her lap and singing quietly to it.

Tears welled up in Oakley's eyes. “Annaliese,” he managed to squeak out. His daughter was still a spitting image of him, her blond curls having grown out into beautiful shoulder-length ringlets, pulled back from her face by a blue plastic headband. She wore a blue dress with white daisies on it, knee socks and black patent leather shoes. She glanced up at him when she heard her name.

“Annaliese, won't you please come say hello,” her grandmother beckoned. “This gentleman is a friend. His name is Oakley.” This was how they had been instructed to approach her, so she wouldn't be confused.

Oakley knelt down and waited for her to come to him. “Hello, Annaliese,” he managed to say. “It's nice to meet you.”

The girl stood up and gently set her doll down in the chair. She walked towards him slowly, watching him, making sure he was alright. “Nice to meet you,” she said as she reached him and held out her hand. He took her tiny hand and held it in his. She was so like him. A tear fell down his cheek. “Why are you crying?” she asked.

“Because I'm so happy to meet you,” he answered. He didn't want to let her go, but the social worker had warned him against getting too overly touchy right away. “Is it alright for me to hug you?”

Annaliese nodded and with a huge grin answered, “Yes, I like hugs.” 

He pulled her into his arms and she laid her head on his shoulder. She smelled like honey and violets. “I wish we'd have been able to meet sooner,” he sniffled. As he let her go, he asked, “Do you want to see something?”

“Yeah,” she said, her head bobbing up and down vigorously.

Oakley pulled out his wallet and flipped to the photograph. He slipped it out of its plastic sleeve and held it up for her. “Do you know who that is?”

She studied it for a moment and looked back and forth between the photo and Oakley. “You?” she asked, pointing at his picture.

“Very good, yes that is me,” he answered with a chuckle. “Now who else is in the picture.”

She made a pucker face as she looked at it a moment longer, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. “Me?”

He grinned. “Yes, that is you. Do you know that we met before?”

Annaliese shook her head. “No.”

“A long time ago, your mum brought you to see me,” he said. 

She scowled before a sad look shadowed her face. “Granny says Mummy is with the angels, now,” she said solemnly.

“Yes, that's right,” Oakley answered, looking up at her grandmother's face for approval. Mrs. Andrews nodded. “Do you know why your mum brought you to see me?”

Annaliese contemplated him, her eyes glancing down at the photo, then back to Oakley, then to her grandmother. “Are you my daddy?” she asked, her innocent voice barely a whisper.

Oakley shot an alarmed look at Mrs. Andrews. “Eduardo told her before he left that he wasn't her father,” she whispered.

Crestfallen, Oakley could do nothing but feel awful for his daughter. First to be told that the man she considered her father was not and then to lose her mother. “I am,” he answered, pulling the little girl back into an embrace. He let his tears go, falling where they may, on his arms, the floor, on Annaliese's back.

She accepted his embrace, throwing her arms around his neck, her little fingers tickling his nape as she tapped on it. “Granny,” she said, her voice muffled by Oakley's shoulder, “I have a daddy!”


	17. Chapter 17

The week seemed to speed by, and before he knew it, it was halfway over. There'd been no updates from the hospital on Emily's condition and Oakley had been so busy getting to know his daughter that he barely noticed. On Thursday, he'd gotten Susan's, Dina's mother's, permission to take Annaliese with him to visit Emily.

They arrived in the afternoon, Annaliese having taken a nap in the car, and Oakley a bit road weary, but they garnered attention from the nurses as they walked down the hallway to Emily's room, the handsome man and the little girl, hand in hand. A couple of times, they were stopped so someone could admire how adorable she was and Annaliese always had a ready smile and was terribly polite. Oakley was sure it was not anything she had learned from Dina. He smiled broadly when she was appreciated, a proud father.

When they reached Emily's room, he carefully pushed open the door and picked up Annaliese, hoisting her to his hip and carrying her over to Emily's bedside. "Annie, sweetheart, this is Emily," he introduced quietly. 

"Why is she in bed?" Annaliese asked innocently, reaching down to pat Emily's hand. "It's she sick?"

Oakley didn't have a ready answer, in fact, he'd never thought of what he would say, should she ask what happened. Instead, he answered, "Yes, she's sick." 

He leaned down to kiss Emily's forehead. "Em, Darling, this is Annaliese." He began to get a little choked up. "She's just the sweetest little girl and I know you'll love her." He sat down in the chair next to her bed as years welled up in his eyes. Annaliese adjusted herself so she was sitting on his lap and watched as he grasped Emily's hand. "Darling, please come back to me," he said tearfully. "I miss you so much. It's been nearly three weeks." 

Annaliese reached up and somberly wiped a tear from his cheek. "Daddy, why are you crying?"

Taking a deep sigh, he answered, "I miss her, like you miss your mum."

Annaliese looked at Emily and then back at Oakley. Confused, she said, "But she's not with the angels."

He couldn't help but smile. "No, you're right, sweetheart, she's not." He patted her little hand. "But she's been sleeping for a long, long time."

"Oh." She seemed to be taking everything so calmly. "Will she wake up soon?"

"I hope so." Oakley wiped his eyes and grabbed a tissue from the nightstand to blow his nose. He made such a noise that Annaliese laughed at him in delight. He'd forgotten how easily amused most children were and her lighthearted giggles helped raise his own spirits.

They'd been there for a while when Amanda arrived. She entered the room to hear Oakley and Annaliese playing I Spy and carrying on like Emily wasn't comatose beside then. "I haven't heard laughter like that in ages," she commented as she sat down in a chair on the other side of Emily's bed. "Maybe that's just what our Emily needs to hear.

Annaliese climbed off of Oakley's lap and approached Amanda. "Hi," she said boldly. "Who are you?"

"Annie, this Is Emily's mum," Oakley said. "She came to visit, just like we did."

"Hello, Annie, my name is Amanda," Amanda said, leaning down to Annaliese's level.

Annaliese smiles shyly. "Nice to meet you." She giggled and then retreated to Oakley's lap, climbing back up and watching Amanda with wide eyes.

Amanda was tickled. "Oakley, she's absolutely adorable," she gushed. "And she looks just like you."

He smiled proudly. "They've progressed our schedule," he said. "Annie and I have been getting about so famously that she should be coming home at the end of the week."

"Isn't that a bit fast?" Amanda asked suspiciously. "I mean, they said it would take a month."

Oakley cupped his hands over Annaliese's ears and whispered loudly, "Susan, her grandmother, is scheduled for surgery next week and then chemotherapy after that."

Amanda flinched before saying, "Oh, I'm sorry."

He took his hands off Annaliese's ears. "After this, we'll be going to pick out some new bedroom furniture for Annie's room." 

"And ice cream!" Annaliese interjected excitedly.

Oakley smiled at her. "And ice cream."

"Do you mind if I tag along?" Amanda asked.

Oakley shook his head. "I don't mind at all," he answered.

The trio stayed with Emily a bit longer, helping with her calisthenics, much to the delight of Annaliese, who thought they were making Emily dance like a puppet. As they left, Oakley leaned in and gave her another kiss. "I love you, my darling."

They went to the ice cream parlour first, and as Annaliese enjoyed her sweets, Amanda broached a subject that they needed to discuss. "The doctor was in when I came to visit Emily yesterday," she began. "He said that all of Emily's functions are normal, her heart, her lungs, even her brain scan snows normal activity. They're not sure why she hasn't awakened, yet."

"She will," Oakley said stubbornly.

Amanda sighed. "He said we should prepare for her to stay like this."

Oakley's face drew into a pout. "I refuse to give up," he said tearfully, turning so Annie wouldn't see him cry. "I can't."

"I've looked into some care homes near my home," Amanda continued. "She'll be well taken care of and you can visit her any time you'd like."

His hand balled into a fist and he punched the table surprising Amanda and making Annie cry. Her tears stopped the rage that welled inside. He immediately reverted into Daddy mode and turned to reassure Annie that everything would be alright. Once her tears were dry, he turned back to Amanda. "I can't do that to her," he said. "She's got to come back, she's got to."

Amanda stood up from the table. "I'm sorry, son, but she's moving tomorrow." She left the parlour with a quick wave to Annie and a look of pity for Oakley.

***

Oakley was up with the dawn the next day. He made tea and toast, trying to make as little noise as possible so he wouldn't wake Annie or Susan. He'd planned on visiting Emily before she was taken away, hoping he could do something to change Amanda's mind. As he padded around the kitchen in a white t-shirt and blue pyjama bottoms, he heard a small yawn from behind. He turned around a d saw Annie, bright-eyed, watching him. "Morning," she said sleepily.

"Good morning, sunshine," he smiled. "Awfully early for you to be up."

Annie grinned at him. "I'm hungry."

He lifted her up to one of the tall kitchen stools. "What would you like? Toast?"

"Yes," Annie nodded vigorously. "And milk."

They ate together in silence, enjoying each others company. When it was time for Oakley to leave, he realized that Susan was still asleep and he very well couldn't leave Annie unattended. He got dressed and then got Annie dressed, packing a bag of extra clothes, face wipes and snacks for her before writing a note to Susan letting her know where they would be off to. Then he took Annie out to the car, fastened her in her seat and began the journey to visit Emily.

When they got to the hospital, Oakley rushed to Emily's room. He wanted to make sure that she was still there and was satisfied when he found everything as it had been. He settled Annie on the floor in the corner with some crayons and a coloring book before sotting in the chair next to Emily. He took her hand in his and leaned his elbows on the edge of the bed before kissing the back of her hand. "Darling," he said tearfully, "They're supposed to be moving you today." He leaned closer and buried his face in her chest. "Please come back to me. I need you. You are my everything. I can't lose you."

Annie saw her father crying and, with childlike concern, stood up and walked to him, patting his leg with reassurance. "Don't cry, Daddy," she said softly.

"It's alright, Sweetheart," he replied. "Daddy's just sad" He picked Annie up and sat her in his lap. "I'll be okay." His heart was broken, but he knew he needed to be strong, if not for himself, if not for Emily, then for Annie. "I'm sad Emily won't wake up."

Annie grasped Emily's hand and kissed it. "Please wake up," she said. "Daddy is sad you won't wake up." 

For a moment, Oakley thought he was imagining things. When Annie spoke, Emily's eyes fluttered. Then they did it again. He pushed the call button to summon the nurse. "She fluttered her eyes," he said, breathless with excitement.

The nurse pulled out a small pen light and held open first one of Emily's eyelids and then the other, shining the light in each of them. "Her pupils are responsive," she said. "I'll get the doctor." She rushed out of the room.

"Please, please, please." Oakley held her hand and squeezed , willing her to wake up. "Please come back to me."

The doctor arrived just as Emily squeezed his hand back. It made Oakley jump and Annie began to giggle. He squeezed her hand once more and she responded by squeezing him back. Her eyelids opened and her eyes darted arond the room as they adjusted to the light. They settled on Oakley and the little girl on his lap. "Oakley," she whispered, her voice nearly silent.

Oakley grinned, his heart soaring. "Emily, Darling, I love you," he gushed. He felt a tiny tug from Annie on his shirt sleeve. "And, I'd like you to meet Annie."


	18. Chapter 18

"I'm sure with some physical therapy, you'll be just fine," the doctor was saying. 

Emily smiled. "I hope so."

"Well," Dr. Mead answered, "You can thank your family for the calisthenics they did with you while you were sleeping. If they hadn't done that to keep your muscles conditioned, you'd have a much harder task ahead of you."

Oakley squeezed her hand. "Thank you, doctor," he said as she left the room. He turned to Emily, his heart bursting with love. "Whatever you need, I'll do," he said softly. "I'm just happy you're back."

"Honestly," Emily replied, "You've been wonderful. I'm afraid most of this is on me, now." 

"Can I ask you a question?" He seemed nervous, his eyes darting from Emily to the floor and back.

Emily nodded. "What, Darling?"

He sucked in a deep breath. "I know you wanted to wait a while," he said, "But I can't bear to think of losing you again. Would you marry me?"

Emily laughed. "I've already said I would."

"No," he shook his head, "I mean today. I could get the hospital chaplain to officiate."

She was speechless for a moment and then her eyes began to tear. "Yes, " she answered.

Without waiting for her to say anything else, Oakley rushed from the room. Emily leaned her head back against her pillow, trying to raise her legs, slowly, one at a time, bending her knees, wincing with the pain that tingle through them. By the time he returned, she was a sweaty mess. 

"The chaplain will be up in an hour," Oakley said, catching his breath and leaning forward with his hands rested on his upper thighs. 

Emily smiled. "Good because I need a good shower." She wiped sweat that beaded on her forehead. 

"We should call your mum, first," he grinned, holding up his phone. When Emily nodded in agreement, he pulled up Amanda's number and called her. When she answered, he smiled mischievously at Emily and held up a finger. "Hi, Amanda, it's Oakley..." he listened for a moment, presumably to hear her speak, then continued. "Yes... Umm... I think you should come to the hospital. Something has happened..." Another pause. "Yes, please bring Annie." 

As he hung up the phone, Emily looked at him slack jawed. "You didn't tell her!" she yelped. "She's going to think something's wrong."

Oakley waggled his eyebrows at her. "She'll hurry," he replied. "Now about that shower..."

Emily grasped the call button and held it up. "I'm calling the nurse to help me. It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding." She threw a pillow at him as he gave her his guilty look. "Now, you go get ready, yourself."

He left the room just as the nurse arrived and left the hospital. From his various visits, he knew that there was a small shopping center nearby and found a jeweler. He went inside and purchased two plain gold wedding bands, hoping Emily's would fit her. He visited a clothing store and bought a button down shirt for himself and a simple white dress for Emily that he knew she could easily get on, and then returned to the hospital.

Once he reached her floor, he gave the dress to the nurse, then visited the lavatory to change his own shirt. A quick look at the time on his cell phone told him he'd had just enough time to get back to Emily's room.

Amanda and Annie were waiting outside, Amanda's face full of worry, Annie calmly coloring in a book, using a chair as a desk. "What's wrong?" Amanda asked when she saw Oakley. "What's happened? "

Oakley tried hard to mask his smile. "C'mere, Sweetheart," he said as he moved to pick up Annie. "I have some news." 

Annie dropped her crayons and let him pick her up, laying her cheek on his shoulder. "Daddy, you smell nice," she said.

"Amanda, please, let's go in," he instructed solemnly, using Annie's head to disguise his smile. "They're waiting for us."

Amanda went ahead of him, pushing open the door and steeping into Emily's room, expecting the worst. Instead, she was greeted with Emily smiling happily and chatting with the chaplain and two of the nurses. She was dressed in the white dress Oakley had bought, had her hair gathered into a bun with sprigs of baby's breath tucked into it and had lip gloss and eyeliner applied. "Hello, Mum," Emily grinned when she saw her.

Amanda was speechless. Oakley set Annie down on the foot of Emily's bed and laughed. "Amanda," he announced, "Emily and I have decided to get married."

"I knew that," she said wryly.

"Today," Emily said.

Amanda's mouth dropped. "Now?"

Oakley went to Emily's side and nodded to the chaplain. "When you're ready."

The chaplain cleared her throat. "Friends, family, we are here to witness the joining of these two, Oakley and Emily, that they may live in love together for all the days of their lives."

Emily reached over and grasped Oakley's hand, squeezing it just enough that he glanced down at her. She smiled when she saw the tears in the corners of his eyes that matched her own. She heard very little of what the chaplain was saying, her attention only on Oakley until he motioned towards the chaplain.

"Do you, Emily take this man to love from this day forward?" the chaplain asked her.

"Yes," Emily answered, "I do."

"And, Oakley, so you take this woman to love from this day forward?" 

Oakley squeezed Emily's hand when he answered. "I do." He slid the ring box out of his pocket, leaned close to Annie and put it in her hands. "When she asks for the rings, hand her these," he whispered with a wink.

Annie nodded and waited. "Rings, please," the chaplain said and Annie handed them to her with a grin.

"When did you do this?" Emily asked in astonishment.

He smiled sheepishly. "This afternoon," he blushed.

The chaplain flipped open the ring box and offered it to them. They took each other's ring and kissed it. Oakley put Emily's ring on her outstretched finger first. "This is a symbol of my love for you," he said. "It will never end." His voice hitched on the verge of tears. 

Emily grasped his ring delicately and slid it on his finger. "Oakley," she said, "You and I have come a long way, and b this is our journey. I love you." She tried hard not to sound cheesy. 

The chaplain set the ring box down on the table behind her and turned back towards the couple. "I pronounce you husband and wife," she announced. "You may kiss the bride."

Oakley leaned in close to Emily, both their eyes damp with happiness, and kissed her gently. "I love you so much," he gushed.

"I love you, too," Emily replied. 

Annie crawled up the bed to sit next to Emily. "Are you my new mommy?" she asked innocently.

Emily looked at Oakley and then back to Annie. With a smile, she answered, "Yes, Annie, I am." She hugged the little girl as Oakley wrapped his arms around them both.


	19. Chapter 19

Emily returned home on Annaliese's fourth birthday. She'd spent a month in the hospital working on her muscles, her balance, walking again, and she was still a bit wobbly. Amanda was at their flat watching Annie, while Oakley checked Emily out of the hospital and when they pulled into the driveway, they were greeted by balloons and noisemakers. Emily smiled at the sight and waved as Oakley got out of the car and made his way around to help her out. He scooped her out of the seat, arm wrapped around her waist, and waited for her to steady herself, hand against the side of the car, before he closed the door.

Annie ran to them, wrapped her arms around their legs and squealed, “You're home!” 

“I'm so happy you're home,” Amanda gushed, her eyes full of tears. She ushered them to the door. “We've been waiting for you.” 

Annie let go of Oakley and Emily and ran to grasp Amanda's hand as they led them upstairs. “I'm four, today!” she called, a wide grin spread across her face.

Oakley helped Emily as she shuffled across the lot and into the foyer, but he leaned down to hoist her legs over one of his arms to carry her up the stairs. “I can do it myself, “ Emily protested.

He leaned in and nipped at her earlobe. “I intend on carrying my bride across the threshold,” he whispered. “And if that means also carrying you upstairs, then so be it.”

“Alright,” Emily sighed. She was stubborn and had worked hard in physical therapy to strengthen herself enough to navigate, but the excitement of the day had begin to wear on her. “I'll save my energy for later.” 

He carried her up the stairs, his long legs steadily ascending, then down the hallway and through the open door to their flat. “Welcome home, my darling wife,” he grinned as he set her down.

Emily's heart soared at the words and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. “I love hearing you say that,” she said as she kissed him. “My darling husband.”

“Enough of that,” Amanda laughed. “There's children in the room.” She nudged her head towards Annie who was sitting serenely in an armchair cradling her dolly.

“It's my firm belief that children should see their parents be affectionate with each other whenever possible,” Oakley retorted before landing another kiss on Emily's lips.

“Is that how yours were?” Amanda asked.

He shook his head. “Believe me, Amanda, there was no love in my house.” He looked solemnly at her. “My mum and dad were always at each others' throats and she left us as soon as she was able to. My dad, well, he was a hard-ass. I don't know if I have more scars on my body or my psyche from him.”

“Do you still speak with him?” Emily asked, suddenly realizing that she knew nothing about Oakley's side of the family.

He scowled. “Oh, God no. Bastard's been dead for five years now. My mum's a traveler. She's in India now, has been since before Dad died. The only family I have left here is my dad's cousin Vee and her kids, Badge and Jack, though it's been ages since I've seen any of them.”

“That's so sad,” Emily said. “Why don't you see them more often?”

Oakley helped her to the sofa and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. “There was this incident when we were in Italy, before I went off to uni, involving one of Vee's friends. Things were never the same between all of us after that. We sort of drifted apart and then my dad died and I haven't really seen them since.” 

He set his hand down on Emily's thigh and realized that she was more frail than he had realized. Her ordeal and accompanying hospital stay had slimmed her down, her muscles no longer toned, her energy level exhausted much more easily. “Let me know if anything gets to be too much for you, okay?” he asked her.

“I'm fine,” Emily smiled. “We should look up your cousins and have them visit sometime.”

He scowled. “I'm not sure that would be such a good idea.”

“I'm sure they'd be shocked,” she giggled. “From everything you've told me about your youth, I'm sure they would be absolutely floored to find you a married man with a beautiful little girl.” She gave him a little peck on the cheek.

The room went silent for a moment, Oakley and Emily looking at each other, Amanda gazing out the window. The momentary peace was interrupted by Annaliese's small voice. “Can we have cake now?”

Oakley chuckled. “We may, Sweetheart, as soon as you've opened your presents.” He was baffled that she had not even cast a thought about her birthday presents.

“Yay!” Annie leaped from the chair, knocking her dolly on the floor, and flew to the dining room table to grab as much as she could from the stack of presents. Amanda helped her with the rest and she settled down on the floor in the middle of the living room.

“Where did these all come from?” Emily asked, watching the tower of presents as they grew around the little girl.

“Oh, some from friends and family,” Oakley answered, then blushed, “Well, mostly me.”

Emily shook her head. “You're going to spoil her.”

“I'm going to spoil you, too,” he grinned.

Annie grabbed the closest present, ripping into the wrapping paper and pulling it from the package in record time. “Look!” she screeched, wide-eyed at the Princess dress she pulled from the box. She held it up and twirled around before setting it gingerly on the coffee table and diving into her presents once again. She repeated the process until the entire stack was gone and the living room floor was a sea of colorful wrapping paper and empty boxes. She had admired each present thoughtfully before stacking it neatly on the table and, when the presents were all opened, stood up in the middle of it and announced, “Now cake!”

Emily stood with Oakley's help and made her way to the dining room table, pulling out a chair and taking a seat in between Amanda and Annie while Oakley went into the kitchen to light the candles and retrieve the cake. She began to sing as they all did, her voice thinner than it had been, but still able to tone out “Happy Birthday.” When they were done singing, Annie leaned close to her and said, “Mummy, will you help blow out my candles?” 

For a moment, Emily froze, her ears still not used to being called Mummy, but, as she looked at Annie's innocent blue eyes expectantly waiting for her answer, she said, “Of course, Darling,” with a smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Oakley grinning proudly. She and Annie both drew in deep breaths and puffed their cheeks before assaulting the four small lit candles and extinguishing them completely. 

They celebrated both Annie's birthday and Emily's homecoming through the rest of the afternoon, ordering in for dinner and watching one of Annie's favorite Disney movies before it was bed time. Amanda had gone home when the movie was over, hugging Emily and giving Annie a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Well, I know one little girl who needs to go to sleep,” Oakley announced once the door was closed.

Annaliese looked up at him from her nest of blankets and pillows on the floor and yawned. “Can I wear my princess dress to bed?” she asked sleepily.

“Only tonight,” he answered as he stood up, then knelt down to scoop her up in his arms, blankets, dolly and all.

Emily got up from the sofa and followed them in. She had not seen the transformation of the little room. It had ceased to become Oakley's man-cave in the making and had been painted a delicate lavender with peel and stick princess decals. The blinds had been covered with curtains depicting castles and unicorns, and there was a small canopy bed in the center of the room festooned with shiny satin pillows and a princess blanket. Her toys were stowed neatly on a set of shelves and bins under the window and her closet, cracked open with the light on was stuffed with clothes. “Oh, you don't spoil her at all, do you?” she quipped as she took it all in.

Oakley had deposited Annie on the bed and was covering her up. He glanced over his shoulder at Emily and smiled. “Not at all,” he shot back before giving Annie a sweet kiss on her cheek and whispering, “Sleep well, Princess.”

“Okay, Daddy,” Annie replied. “I want a kiss from Mummy, too.”

Emily made her way to the other side of the bed and sat down. She leaned over Annaliese and kissed the top of her head. “Goodnight, Sweetie,” she whispered.

“I love you, Mummy,” Annie said, following it up with, “I love you, too, Daddy.” She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.

Emily rose and walked back over to the door, meeting Oakley as he flipped the light switch off. He helped her into the hallway and then closed the door. As the latch clicked, he wrapped himself around Emily. “How are you feeling?”

She nodded. “I feel wonderful,” she answered, wrapping her own arms around Oakley's waist. “I still can't believe I'm somebody's Mummy, though.”

He chuckled. “And I'm actually somebody's Daddy?”

“She's a beautiful girl,” Emily said. “And you're a wonderful father. I can already tell she adores you.”

“She adores you, too,” he replied with a kiss. “Now, let's get ourselves to bed.” He hoisted Emily up over his shoulder and carried her caveman-style into the bedroom. “Shall we celebrate our wedding night now?” he asked as he gently laid her down on the bed.

Emily was already turned on. “Oh, yes,” she smiled. She closed her eyes as Oakley traced her with his fingers, gingerly unbuttoning her blouse to reveal her bare breasts, then laving them with his tongue making her nipples peak. She sighed as he pulled her skirt down, her panties with it, feeling his hands brush against her sex. He kissed the valley between her breasts, then slid down peppering her belly with kisses, then down more until he delved his tongue between her waiting folds. Emily raised her hips to him, mewling with the sensation of his tongue flicking against her clit, swirling around it. She knew it wouldn't take long to reach her peak and the moment she felt his lips around it and felt him begin to suckle her, she was gone. The heat pooled in her body where he was lavishing attention and she could no more muffle her scream of pleasure than she could the liquid of her release as it coated him. 

Oakley withdrew from her, stood at the end of the bed and took his own clothes off, kicking them to the side and climbing over her. She reached to grasp his hardness and he swatted her hand away. “No, this is all about you, Darling,” he purred as he lowered himself onto her. One hand slid down and lifted her leg, allowing him to angle his tip at her entrance. Slowly, he pushed into her, allowing her time to stretch to him. “Let me know what you want me to do,” he whispered. 

Emily reached around behind him and grasped the globes of his ass, pulling him into her. “I'm not fragile,” she rasped as she rocked into him. Her lips found the cleft of his collarbone and traveled along his chest, her tongue flicking out and tasting his skin. 

He held a steady pace, thrusting into her while he trailed his own tongue along her neck and nibbled at her ear. He could tell she was close to her peak again by the way she moved, writhing beneath him, her fingertips grazing along his back, her nail raking small welts in his skin. He pushed into her more forcefully, grinding his pubic bone into her clit.

She mewled as he drove into her, felt her entire body transform into a raging inferno. Her ragged breaths became broken screams as her body seized with pleasure, her walls clamping down around his cock, milking him as he pressed into her. “Oh, God, Oakley!” she screamed breathlessly.

In her pleasure, Oakley found his own release. His cock twitched as it was constricted by her and he came, his seed spilling out into her with a grunt of satisfaction and his own vocalization of, “Oh, fuckkkkk, Em.”

As their movements slowed, then stopped, Oakley pulled the edge of the blanket and wrapped them in it, kissing Emily again before rolling to her side. “I love you,” he whispered. “I'm so happy I didn;t lose you.”

“Me, too,” Emily smiled.

There was a small noise in the hallway outside their door and then a small knock. The door cracked open and they heard Annie's little voice. “Are you okay? I heard screaming.”

Oakley shot an alarmed look at Emily and then looked back at Annaliese. “We're fine, Sweetheart,” he answered. “Go back to bed.”

Annie yawned and stepped back into the hallway closing the door behind her.

“We're going to have to keep it down, now, I guess,” he chuckled as Emily snuggled into him.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fluff in this chapter... I'm going through Daddy Oakley feels.

“Dadddyyyyyyy!!!!” came the scream in the middle of the night. “Mummmmyyyyy!!!”

Oakley's eyes snapped open and he grabbed his phone from the nightstand, flipping the screen on and blearily trying to make out the time. It was 3:00 AM. He felt Emily stir next to him. “Don't worry, I've got it,” he whispered as another scream rang through the flat. He climbed out of bed and grabbed a bathrobe from the hook on the closet, wrapping it around himself and tying it as he opened the door and padded down the hallway to Annaliese's room.

“Dadddyyyyyy!!!!!” she screamed again as he opened her door and rushed to her side. He wrapped his arms around her shaking form.

“Shhh, Princess,” he cooed. “Daddy's here. What's wrong?” He rocked her as she burrowed into his chest and sniffled.

“Mmmmmonster!” she managed to say between sobs. “Coming to get me.”

He glanced around the room to see if there was anything making shadows that her mind may have interpreted as a monster. There was nothing. The only light in the room spilled in from the slightly open closet door. “Where's the monster?” he asked gently.

Annie took a deep breath. “It's under my bed,” she sniffled. “It wants to eat my toes.”

Oakley sat her up so he could see her face. “Now, Sweetheart, we've already gone over this,” he said seriously. “There are no monsters under your bed. Do you remember?”

“No,” Annie scowled. “There was a monster.” She was adamant.

“What did this monster look like?” he asked, hoping she would at least give some clue to what was really scaring her.

Her tiny face scrunched and her Liliputian voice answered, “I don't know. It's invibible.” 

“Do you mean invisible?” he said. When she nodded, he gave her a sympathetic smile. “Well, how can we make it go away, do you think?”

Annie shrugged. “Keep my toes in my blankets?”

*

Emily woke up and rolled over, her eyes fluttering open at the sound of the sparrows that had roosted in the tree outside their window. She rolled over to embrace Oakley and found Annie between them, sleeping soundly, her little fingers curled in her hair, her arm clutching her dolly, her little body nestled in the curve of Oakley's arm. Emily kissed Annie on the top of her head and looked up at Oakley. He, too, had been awakened and when he saw Emily gazing at him, he shrugged sheepishly and brought his index finger to his lip telling her to keep quiet. She rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up, grabbing the robe that was folded on her nightstand and wrapping herself in it. Standing up, she held onto the edge of the mattress to get her balance, then pointed to the bathroom while she raised her eyebrows at Oakley.

He nodded and watched as she walked to the bathroom, then tried to unpin his arm from Annie's sleeping form. He managed to slide his arm out from under her with minimal disturbance, causing her only to roll to her side and smack her lips. Satisfied that Annie was going to stay asleep, he followed Emily into the bathroom. “Sorry,” he said as he entered, “She talked me into it.”

Emily had been looking at her face in the mirror. In the months she had been home, her face had filled out again, her cheeks no longer hollow, and her body had begun to return to the definition she'd had before her ordeal. She turned to face Oakley. “It's not that,” she sighed. “I'm worried about these night terrors.”

“The doctor says they're perfectly normal for a child her age,” Oakley replied. “And even more so when you consider everything she's been through. He was surprised she's adjusted as well as she has.” He leaned back against the counter and reached around to hold Emily. “So have you.”

She smiled at him. “I have you to thank,” she said. “And Annie. She's one special little girl.” 

Oakley nodded. “She is.” He was silent for a moment, in contemplation, then said, “And to think, I nearly lost both of you.”

Emily leaned her head on his shoulder. “But you didn't.” She kissed his neck softly and then stood more upright. “I need to take a shower.”

He furrowed his eyebrows at her. “Why?”

With a chuckle, Emily answered, “I've got a lunch date with some of the girls from the office.” She smiled, knowing he was happy that she had managed to go back to work and that she had made some wonderful friends.

“Missy and Julie?” he asked.

Emily nodded. “Of course! In fact, we've planned a salon visit after, too, so you and Annie are on your own for the afternoon.”

“Well,” he sighed, “I guess we're going to the park, then.” Emily knew that he relished being a father and that he was completely devoted to his little girl. He had even taken Annie to the garage and let her sit in the sports cars, pretending they were limousines and she was the queen. Her dolly, of course, was the princess. “I may even take her to John and Ellie's.” 

He took his robe off and stepped into the shower after Emily, wrapping his arms around her wet body. He caressed her and kissed the back of her neck. “What do you think? Should we have a little fun?” he growled into her ear.

Emily leaned her head back onto his chest. “Mmmm,” she hummed. “But we better not. It echos more in here than anywhere else and with Annie in our bed, I don't want to wake her up.” She turned around and wrapped her arms around him. “Besides, I'm feeling a little under the weather today.”

Oakley nodded. “Tonight?” He understood. Ever since her ordeal, she had struggled with eating real food. She could stomach only small portions and couldn't eat anything that was fried or fatty. For the most part, they had learned to deal with it, but, every once in a while, her body would revolt and she would get sick.  
“We'll see how I'm feeling, okay?” She kissed him on the nose and grabbed her loofah from the shelf behind him.

They finished washing and got out to dry off. Emily snuck quietly into the bedroom to grab some pants for Oakley and some clothes for herself and returned to the bathroom and into his waiting arms. She gasped when he pulled her into him and dropped the clothes she was holding. “You look so sexy,” he purred.

“Too bad I don't feel that way,” she quipped. When she saw the look on his face, she said, “I'm sorry, Love.” She put her hand on her stomach. “There's not much about this that feels sexy.”

Oakley splayed his hand on her stomach, nudging hers out of the way and rubbed gently. “I'm sorry, too,” he said. “I hate that you feel like this. Has the doctor said anything about helping you with it?”

She shook her head. “No, she just says that I will be able to eat normally when my body is ready for it.” 

His eyes narrowed. “Is she sure that's all?”

Emily shrugged. “Yep.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Can I get dressed now, please?”

He pulled himself away from her, reached down and handed her the clothes she had dropped, pulling his own from the stack. “I hope today makes you feel better,” he sighed. 

“Me, too.” She finished getting dressed and bid him goodbye with a kiss on the cheek. “Have fun today,” she grinned.

“You, too, Darling.” Oakley watched her leave and padded back into the bedroom to find a shirt and some shoes.

Annie stirred in the bed. “Daddy?” she said groggily, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

“Yes, Princess,” he answered. “You and I have a day all to ourselves. I was thinking we could go to the park and maybe visit Uncle John and Aunt Ellie.”

She jumped up from the nest of blankets and hopped up and down on the bed, swinging her dolly. “Yay!!!!” She nearly bounced off the bed, but Oakley caught her and set her down. “Careful,” he warned. “Now, let's get you dressed and find something to eat.”

By the time Oakley and Annie were ready to go, it was nearly noon. They drove to the market and bought some items for a picnic, then drove to the park on the other side of town. He beamed as she ran pell mell down the graveled path in front of him trying to catch a wayward butterfly and smiled when her giggles filled the spring air. They settled on a spot near a little duck pond and he spread out a blanket he'd brought from the car so they could sit down. Annie flopped down on it with a handful of wildflowers. She looked up in the sky and watched the clouds. “Look, Daddy, an elephant,” she pointed.

Oakley looked up to where she was pointing. “Very good, I do see an elephant,” he replied. She looked so serene, he couldn't help pulling out his phone and taking a picture. “What other things do you see?” he asked as he laid down next to her. 

Annie giggled as she pointed out several other animals, cows, birds, a whale. Then she got quiet. “Daddy,” she said softly in his ear. “I miss my mummy.”

Oakley rolled on his side and saw that her eyes were brimming with tears. “You have a Mummy,” he answered, afraid of where her conversation was going.

She shook her head and the tears fell down her cheeks. “NO!” she protested, “MY mummy.”

He sat up and pulled her into his lap. Kissing her head, he buried his face in her ringlets. “I know,” he whispered, trying to soothe her. “I know you miss her. But you have me and you have Emily.”

“My mummy used to sing to me,” she sniffled. “I miss that.”

Oakley's heart hurt to hear it. His own beliefs had hinged on the conviction that Dina had been a bad mother, that Annie was better off not having her as an influence in her life. “I could sing to you, if you'd like,” he said. 

“Okay.” She turned her little tear-stained face up towards him. “Can you sing 'The Eensy-Weensy Spider'?”

He nodded. “I know that one. My own mum sang that to me when I was little.” He smiled and took a deep breath, then began singing. Annie joined in, her child-like voice complementing his deep voice perfectly. When they finished singing, Oakley asked, “Is that better?”

Annaliese nodded. “Can we eat lunch now?”

Opening the paper bag with the food he had bought, he smiled. “Yes, we can.”

They spent the remainder of the day at the park, deciding not to visit anyone else. Annie wanted to swing on all the swings at the playground to see which one was best, and she invited Oakley to play on the merry-go-round with her because he could spin it the fastest. He had forgotten what it felt like to be a kid, so free from worry, so uninhibited. Even when he had been a kid, the stresses between his parents and their subsequent split had robbed him of a decent childhood. He guessed that was why he acted out the way he did as he got older. Annie was giving him that back. His heart soared as he watched her grin and giggle her way through the park. She was such a free, innocent spirit and he resolved to let her stay that way as long as he could.

They went home when the sun began to set. As they walked into the flat, laughing, Oakley saw Emily sitting on the sofa with a concerned look on her face. He told Annie to go put her things away in her room and play for a while and she did it without so much as an argument.

Once she was gone, he sat down next to Emily. “Is everything alright?” he asked, draping his arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple.

Emily's hands were knit together and she looked sidelong at him. “Maybe?” she said hesitantly.

“What?” He knew the look on her face. It was the furrowed brow she got when she'd been thinking too much, the pucker of her lips that told him it was serious.

She drew in a sharp breath and stood up. “Come with me,” she said as he stood and followed her into the bedroom and then into the adjoining bathroom. Once they were in there, she shut the door. “Ummm,” she began nervously, “I have some news.” Her eyes were riveting into him.

Oakley steeled himself for something awful. “Oh, no,” he said, “It's not bad, is it?”

Emily reached into the basket that sat on the toilet tank and grabbed something out of it. She held her hand out in front of him, unfolding it so he could see what she held. “I think we're going to have a baby,” she said quietly, her fingers curling around the white plastic stick with a plus sign on it.

He blinked, stunned, and sat down on the toilet. “How...?” he asked incredulously.

“If you don't know how, I'm not going to tell you,” she laughed. Her smile faded when she saw how shell-shocked he looked. “Well, I haven't been on anything since I got out of the hospital,” she explained. 

Oakley smiled and looked up at her, reaching for her and pulling her to him so he could nuzzle against her belly. “A baby,” he said, his words muffled by her.

“Now, I have to go to the doctor to confirm it,” she warned, “But I took three of these tests and they all came out the same.” She dropped the stick on the sink and ran her fingers through his curls. “Are you happy?” she asked.

“We're going to have a baby,” Oakley gushed.


	21. Chapter 21

“What time is your appointment, today, Babe?” Oakley ducked his wet, freshly showered curls around the kitchen corner.

Emily turned around from where she was making his lunch. “Five,” she answered. She had one hand holding a mustard-covered knife that dripped as she smiled at him. “Damn,” she said as the mustard blopped on her naked knee.

Grinning mischievously, Oakley rounded the corner the rest of the way, his bottom half wrapped haphazardly in a damp bath towel. “Let me help you with that,” he smirked as he leaned down and ran his tongue along her knee, then began to move upwards.

Squealing, Emily jumped back from him and batted him playfully with the slice of bread she had grabbed from the counter. “Not here!” she shrieked.

He stopped and looked up at her. “Why not?”

“Well, for one thing,” she answered, “You've got to get to work, and another,” she pointed to the hallway, “We've got a little one watching.”

He turned his head and caught a glimpse of Annie's golden curls. “Hello, Princess,” he said as he turned the rest of the way around. “What are you doing up so early?”

Annie rubbed her eyes. “I wanted to see you before you go to work,” she answered. “And Mummy made noise.” 

Oakley looked back at Emily, made a guilty face and shrugged. Turning his attention back to Annaliese, he said, “She made a noise because there was a spider and it was crawling up her leg.” He reached his hand out and walked his fingers up the back of Annie's neck. “Now you better go back to sleep before the morning spiders climb up you.”

“Oakley!” Emily said disapprovingly, tapping her bare foot on the linoleum. 

He stood up and turned around. “Would you rather I let her stay up? It's only six.”

She sighed. “She's going to stay up, anyways.” She put one hand on her hip and the other on her stomach. “Every morning, she wakes up when you leave and spends at least two hours in her room making up stories and telling them to her dolly.”

The image that flashed through Oakley's mind made him smile. “What kind of stories do you tell, Princess?” he asked Annie.

“Come here,” she answered, reaching up to grasp his hand and pulling him down the hallways once she got it. “I'll show you.” Once they were to her room, she pulled out a stack of papers from one of her bins and plopped them on her bed. A good many of her drawings were of teddy bears and stick figures, with an occasional castle. She pointed at one stick figure. “This is Princess Teddy Bear,” she explained. “She protects the teddy bears from the bad witch.” She pointed at another stick figure that had a black, pointy hat.”

“She's got quite the imagination,” Emily said as she stepped into the room.

Oakley nodded in agreement. “She got that from me,” he answered. “My mum says I was always telling stories when I was a kid, though I don't think she ever had any drawings to go with them like this.” He wrapped his arms around Annie. “These are wonderful, Sweetheart.”

“Annie, honey, Daddy needs to get ready for work,” Emily said as she embraced the two of them and kissed the top of Annie's head. 

“Okay,” Annie sighed. “Have fun at work, Daddy!” She leaned up and kissed Oakley's cheek as he stood up.

“I will,” he replied. 

He followed Emily into the hallway and into their room, kicking the door shut with his foot. As soon as it was closed, he snaked his arms around her middle and reeled her back to him. Burying his face into her neck, he mumbled, “God, I wish I didn't have to work today.” He kissed the cleft of her neck. “You look good enough to eat.”

Emily let out a guffaw. “I've got bed head and one of your old shirts on,” she groaned. “I'd hardly call that attractive.”

Oakley slid a hand down her abdomen and rubbed it. “You're glowing and happy and you're mine,” he answered before letting his hand slide further down, landing to rest between her legs.

She leaned back against his shoulder and closed her eyes. “You don't know what that does to me,” she rasped. “All these hormones are making me more turned on than usual.”

He could feel her breathing, her breasts heaving. “Perhaps I should call in sick?” He let his fingers dance along the lace panel at the front of her panties. “What do you think?”

Emily lifted her head and her eyes snapped open. She squirmed and turned around in his arms. “I think,” she said, kissing his nose, “John would have your balls if you called in sick today. Did you forget about how busy it's been for you?”

There had been a run of unseasonable rain, torrents that made the roads run like rivers, the asphalt slick as ice and all the drivers in the area seemed to not know how to handle their cars in it. “You're right,” he said with a sullen sigh. “I'll at least see if I can get off a little early and meet you for your appointment.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “Then I can call my mum and let her know she doesn't need to watch Annie while I'm at the doctor's.”

“She can come, too, if she wants,” he said. “This is her first grandchild.” He cupped the soft curve of her hip and leaned down to kiss her abdomen. It rolled when Emily chuckled.

“Get ready for work,” she laughed, “Before John calls and asks where you are.”

“I suppose fucking my gorgeous wife wouldn't be an acceptable answer?” he snorted as he stood back up. 

Emily unthreaded herself from his arms and moved to the doorway. “Probably not,” she grinned.

Once Oakley had left for work, Emily busied herself with her own breakfast, took a shower and dressed herself in a pair of comfortable yoga pants and a form-fitting t-shirt. She had checked on Annie in between her own tasks and always found the little girl drawing at her pint-sized desk and talking with her toys. Annie seemed well-adjusted, but she had times where she seemed incredibly lonely. She decided to enroll Annie into a school, if not for helping the intelligent little girl with her education early, but to let her play with other children. A co-worker had told her about a group of parents that met at the community center each Tuesday to talk and let their kids play together and Emily felt that was a great place to start. She had Annie take a bath and get dressed after she fed her breakfast and then they left the flat for their new adventure.

The community center was located in the basement of a modern building that had been originally built to house a bank, it's facade all slick stone and glass. The basement had it's fair share of windows and seemed bright and airy despite it's location. As Emily and Annie emerged from the elevator, they were approached by a scad of children, all with glue on their fingers and glitter dusted over their clothing, all about the same age as Annie. “Come on!” they all yelled as they grabbed at her and pulled her to the craft table in the middle of the room.

Annie had seemed overwhelmed at first, her eyes widened with fright and searching the room for Emily, her dolly clutched tightly in her arms, until another little girl approached her with her own dolly. “This is Missy,” Emily heard her say as she held her own doll up. “She likes cupcakes.”

Annie's defenses fell. “This is Princess Teddy Bear,” she giggled, holding up her own dolly for inspection. “She guards the teddy bears from the evil witch.”

Emily took a deep breath and relaxed as she sat down on a chair near the other parents. It was going to be okay. She watched Annie as she played with the other children, her bright laughter ringing through the room. “Is she your first?” a woman to her left asked.

She turned to look at the woman. “No, um, I mean,” she stumbled over her words. She had never thought about other people might ask about Annie. “She's my step-daughter,” she finally finished. 

The woman nodded in solidarity. “These blended families can be hard. How's her mother taking to the news.”

Emily closed her eyes and sighed. “Her mother's dead,” she answered. She opened them again to a look of concern.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” the woman said softly. “I didn't mean...” her voice drifted off.

“It's alright,” Emily chuckled. “I love Annie like she's my own.”

“Good to hear.” The woman smiled warmly at her and glanced at her hand on her stomach. “When are you due?”

“In August,” Emily answered. “I'm about four months along.”

“Well, congratulations!” 

“Thank you,” Emily beamed. “My name's Emily,” she introduced herself and held out a hand.

“Jane,” the woman grasped her hand and shook it tenatively. Once she let go, she pointed to a little ruddy-haired, freckle-faced boy sitting in the corner playing with a pile of trucks. “That's my Daniel.” 

“Oh,” replied Emily, “He's adorable!”

Jane let out a loud laugh. “Don't let that fool you. He's precocious.”

The afternoon progressed quickly, the children playing and enjoying each other, Emily and Jane making fast friends. They stopped about mid-day for lunch at the cafe upstairs and went back to their play. Emily kept a keen track of time and at four, she excused herself, gathered Annie, rather unwillingly, from her newfound friends, and headed to the doctor's office. They arrived just in time to meet Oakley in the parking lot. He was cleaned up, but still had a trace of grease on his face and dust in his hair.

“Darling,” he gushed as he saw them, “Sweetheart! How was your day, girls?”

“I made new friends,” Annie announced as she grabbed his hand.

Oakley raised his eyebrow at Emily as she smiled. “There's a group that meets in the community center, so we checked it out today.”

“And did you enjoy it?” Oakley asked as he embraced her and kissed her softly. He knew how Emily valued her ability to keep her Tuesdays off, since that was the one weekday where she could make appointments.

“I think we'll be going often,” she replied, casting her eyes down at Annie, “Especially if this little one has any say on the subject.”

“Yay!!!” Annie yelled as she hopped up and down.

They walked to the entrance and Oakley held the door open for them. “This is a regular check-up, isn't it?” 

“Yes,” Emily answered. “Just a check-up to make sure everything is going well.” She gave him a peck on the cheek as she passed him.

Emily checked in with the receptionist and took a seat next to Oakley in the waiting room. He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “I'm so happy,” he gushed. “I never got to do any of this with Annaliese.” His free hand once again found it's way to her abdomen.

She put her hand gently over the top of his. “I'm glad you could be here.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed happily.

When the nurse called her in, Oakley asked, “Is it alright if we come in?”

“Well, there's a quick internal exam,” the nurse answered, “But I can come get you once that's over.”

He looked at Emily and she nodded. “Okay, it will give Annie more time to play.”

It felt like they waited forever for the nurse to summon them. Annie had long since given up on the bead toy she had been playing with, had yawned and crawled into Oakley's lap and promptly fallen asleep, her fingers curled around his with one hand, the other clutching her dolly. When at last the nurse came out to get them, he struggled to stand with the sleeping girl in his arms. He ended up carrying her with her legs over one arm, her little neck supported by the other, the nurse opening doors for him so he could pass through them without being disturbed. 

Emily was in the exam room lying on her back on the table, the waistband of her pants pulled down around her hips, her shirt pulled up and gathered under her breasts so her abdomen was bare. She was having a quiet conversation with the doctor when they entered. The doctor glanced up and smiled at Oakley and Annie as they entered. “Someone got tuckered out,” he joked.

“Yeah,” Oakley nodded. “I should probably wake her up.” He nudged her and patted her round face. “Princess, wake up,” he whispered.

While he tried to get Annie to wake, the doctor explained what he was happening. “Everything is fine. We estimate that Emily is about 5 weeks along and her due date is August fourth. I was just setting up to get the heartbeat.”

As Annie stirred and looked around at the brightly lit examination room, the doctor asked her, “Would you like to hear your new little brother or sister's heartbeat?”

She nodded and yawned. “Sister,” she replied.

“Annie is convinced it's a girl,” Emily chuckled. She squirmed when he squirted tube of lubricant on her skin. 

The doctor smiled and spread the liquid out, placing the monitor on her stomach, running it over the smooth skin. “Let's see what we can find,” he said, concentrating on the sounds he was hearing. The room remained silent while they waited for him to find something, until, finally, there was the soft liquid thumping that came through. “There it is.”

Oakley reached and grabbed Emily's hand and smiled. “That's our baby,” he gushed.

“Wait,” the doctor said, suddenly concerned, “I hear something else.” He moved the monitor and another noise came into focus. His eyebrows knit as he looked at the screen it was attached to. “Yes,” he finally said. “I thought so.”

Emily cast a worried glance at Oakley. “What's wrong?” she asked the doctor, the spectre of tears beginning to haunt her voice. Her mind was screaming as her heart dropped, ready to hear that there was something not right, that her previous loss was affecting this baby. “Please?”

The doctor looked first at Emily's worried face and then to Oakley's equally concerned face. He smiled and let out a little chuckle. “Nothing wrong,” he answered. Turning his gaze solely to Emily, he continued, “Last time you were in, I thought I heard something funny on the heart monitor, but I attributed it to faulty equipment. Today, I know that's not the case. My dear, you are carrying twins. The noise I heard was a second heartbeat.”

Emily let out a deep breath and looked over at Oakley. He was sitting, his arms around Annie, stunned, with a wide grin on his face. “Oakley?” she said, trying to get his attention.

His eyes caught hers. “Two, twins...” he mouthed.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was a bit in coming along... I should have more time to write now, so it'll be getting along much more quickly.

"I can't believe where we were a little more than a year ago," Emily mused as she leaned back against Oakley's shoulder. "Who would have thought I'd meet a man like you, fall madly in love and be having your babies. I was such a mess." She rolled her head to look at him. "Did you ever imagine anything like this?"

With a chuckle, Oakley replied, "My 19 year old self would be kicking my ass right now." When he saw the question in Emily's eyes, he explained. "When I was young and stupid, I didn't believe in marriage. I thought all of them were destined to fail because monogamy was not something the human species was known for."

Emily sighed. "Well, I'm glad you stopped thinking that way."

Oakley leaned his head on hers. “Me, too.” They gazed out the window of their flat, both sighing, reveling in each others' company, completely absorbed in the beauty of the unseasonably spring-like January evening.

“Mummy,” came Annie's little voice from behind them. She pulled on the hem of Emily's shirt.

“Yes, Sweetheart,” Emily answered, lifting her head and turning around. “What is it?”

“Can the babies sleep with me?” Annie's big blue eyes were full of sincere expectation. She had a large grin spread across her face. “I made them a bed.” Annie had been over the moon when she had found out that she was going to be a big sister and then finding out that there were to be two babies made her that much more ecstatic. “Please.”

Emily stifled a giggle as Oakley turned around, his arm still around her waist. “Princess, the babies will be too little to sleep with you when they are born,” he explained. “They're going to start out sleeping in special bassinets in Mummy and Daddy's room.”

Her little face puckered into a pout. “Why not mine? You can put their baskets in there.” Had she not been so completely serious, it would have been comical.

“Sweetheart,” Emily said gently, “What would you do when they wake up and cry in the middle of the night?”

Annie seemed stunned. “They do that?” Her eyes widened. “Why?”

“Well, they might get hungry or need their diapers changed.” Emily suddenly realized that she and Oakley had not yet discussed anything regarding the babies once they were big enough to be out of their room, much less having discussed with Annie about how their lives would change once the twins arrived. “Oakley, we should have a little chat,” she said, imploring him with her eyes to it down.

Oakley got the idea. He let go of Emily and reached down to pick up Annaliese. “Annie, let's all sit down and have a little talk,” he said as they sat down on the sofa.

“Now, Annie,” Emily began, “There's going to be a lot of changes once the babies arrive.”

Oakley picked up where she left off. “Now, Princess, once the babies come, Mummy and Daddy will be really tired and we'll need your help as the special big sister.”

Annie perked up. “How?”

“Well, for one thing, let Mummy take naps when she needs to,” he answered. “And we'll need you to stay quiet when the babies are sleeping. Can you do that?”

Nodding her head, Annie said, “Yes. Can I help feed them? I'll share my lunch.”

Emily chuckled. “They won't be able to eat food like you, but that's very nice of you.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Oakley said softly as he kissed the top of Annie's head. “You can go play now.”

Annie climbed down from his lap. “Okay, Daddy,” she replied, running down the hallway and into her room.

Once Annaliese was out of earshot, Emily asked, “So what will we do when we don't have the babies in our room?”

He leaned his head back against the sofa. “God, I didn't think about that,” he answered. “We may have to find another flat.”

“I love this flat, though,” Emily said wistfully. “I don't want to leave this one.”

“Me neither,” he shrugged, “But we've gotta do what we've gotta do.”

“Well,” Emily replied, “Wherever you are, I'll call home.”

Oakley smiled. “Likewise, Babe.” He pulled her close and kissed her. “What should we do for dinner?”

“I've got a lasagna in the oven, already,” she answered. “Can't you smell it?”

He raised his nose into the air, closed his eyes and sniffed animatedly. “Oh, yeah, now I do,” he smiled. “It smells wonderful.”

Emily laughed and playfully elbowed him in the ribs. “You're an ass.” She moved to stand and he caught her by the back of her pants and pulled her down onto his lap.

“But you know you love me,” he said mischievously. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her there despite her protestations. “Now don't make me tickle you,” he warned.

Emily squealed as his fingers found her sensitive sides and began to tickle her. “Oakley!” she gasped between laughs, “Let me go!”

“Tell me you're sorry for calling me an ass,” he growled playfully.

“I'm sorry,” she cried breathlessly, tears streaming down her reddened cheeks. He let her go and she stood up, got out of arm's reach, then turned around and added, “I'm sorry you're an ass.” She flashed him a cheeky grin before ducking around the corner into the kitchen.

Oakley shot from the sofa and chased after her, pinning her against the counter. “I'll make you pay for that later,” he growled into her ear.

“Oh,” she smiled knowingly, “I'm counting on it.” She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. 

The timer on the oven dinged and Emily jumped. “Time for dinner.” 

Oakley let her go. “I'll set the table,” he volunteered, “And enlist some help.” Leaning into the hallway, he called, “Princess Annie, would you like to help set the table?”

Annie's voice answered. “Yes!” Her little feet barely made a sound on the carpet as she raced into the dining room. “I get to do forks!” she announced, taking the handful of cutlery from his hand.

By the time they were done with their task, Emily was bringing the steaming pan to the table. “Oakley, would you please grab the salad that's on the counter?” she asked.

“Sure,” he answered, giving her a kiss on the cheek as they passed each other. 

Annie climbed into her seat at the table and sat on her knees. “I'm ready,” she said in a singsong voice.

“Well, aren't you the eager one,” Oakley said as he set the salad down on the table. “What would you like to have first, salad or lasagna?”

Annie wrinkled her nose at the mention of salad. “I don't want salad,” she replied calmly. “Princesses don't need salad.”

Oakley was about to open his mouth when Emily usurped him. “Annie, Sweetheart, this is a special salad, for princesses only.”

“So Daddy doesn't get any?” Annie giggled.

Emily shot a glance at Oakley and shook her head. “Nope, only you and I can eat it.”

“Because you're the Queen?” Annie's eyes grew big.

“Exactly,” Emily winked. She lifted a bit of greens onto Annie's plate. “These make princesses magical.”

Oakley watched them in amusement. He scowled and gave them a mock pout. “I was hoping for some magic myself.”

“Well, Daddy,” Annie said softly, “You're the King.” She looked over at Emily and Emily nodded. “Maybe you can have a little magic.” She gingerly placed a leaf of lettuce from her plate and set it on his.

Beaming, Oakley replied, “Thank you, Princess.” 

Once dinner was done, the table cleared, and the dishes washed, they settled down in the living room, Oakley and Emily cuddled together on the sofa, Annaliese playing in the corner with her dolls before bed. Emily threaded her fingers through his, looking at his long digits as compared to her own, closing her eyes and sighing as she leaned against his shoulder. “I think I'm starting to show,” she whispered. “I can't get a pair of jeans on to save my life.” She sucked in her breath and let it out slowly for emphasis. “Will you still love me when I'm huge?”

Oakley chuckled. “Of course I will,” he answered, kissing her temple. “You'll be huge with my babies.” He sat up more, causing Emily to sit up as well. Leaning his forehead into hers, he said, “I will never not love you. Ever. And I will love those babies of ours every bit as much as I love Annaliese,.” 

 

She gazed into the blue oceans of his eyes and sighed. “I love you, too.” Her eyes began to fill with tears and, as they threatened to overflow, he raised a finger and wiped them for her. “Sorry, I think it's just the hormones catching up to me,” she said softly, her voice beginning to choke. 

Annaliese, seeing them like that on the sofa, decided to join in and, as Oakley and Emily embraced, she wrapped her own arms around them. “I love you, Mummy, don't cry,” she said sweetly.

Emily sniffled. “Thank you, Annie,” she replied, picking the girl up and setting her on both their laps. “I love you and I love your daddy and I love the babies.”

Leaning down and kissing Emily's belly, Annie whispered, “I love you princesses.” She giggled as Emily and Oakley wrapped their arms around her and enveloped her, both of them kissing her curly blond head.

Oakley was about to tell Annie she needed to get ready for bed, but he stopped when the alarm rang. There was a moment of instantaneous shock in which they all looked at each other with questioning in their eyes, uncertain what was happening, then it was overshadowed by the realization that the cacophony they heard was the fire alarm for the building. “Let's not panic,” Oakley said, sliding out from under Annie's little legs. “It's probably a false alarm. Someone pulled it.” He made for the door, trying to disguise the worry in his face from Emily and Annie. “I'm just going to make sure.” He pressed his hand up against the door. It was hot. He let out a huff of breath and leaned his head against the wall. Under his breath, he mumbled, “Fuck.”

Emily had risen from the sofa and was at his side, Annie rested on her hip. “It's not a false alarm, is it?” she asked. When he shook his head, her hand flew to her mouth. “No,” she gasped.

Calmly, Oakley leaned away from the wall. “Emily, love,” he said, “I need you to grab a jacket for yourself and Annie and go to the balcony.”

Nodding, Emily set Annie down while opening the entry closet and grabbing their heavy winter coats. She helped Annie get hers on and then donned her own, watching silently as Oakley put his own coat on. “You're not going out there,” she said softly, nodding to the front door.

“No,” he answered, “But we've got to get out of here and I'll need to get down to help you two.” 

Annie clung to his leg and screamed in terror as tendrils of gray began to curl their way under the door. “Daddddyyyyyy!!!!” she cried. 

Oakley picked her up and carried her to the french doors that led from their dining room to the balcony outside. “Princess,” he said calmly. “I need you to be brave and help Mummy. Can you do that?”

With tears falling from her frightened blue eyes, she nodded vigorously. “Okay,” she whimpered.

Oakley set her down as Emily came to stand behind them. “Em, I'm going to climb down and when I get there, I need you to drop Annie to me,” he said decisively.

“Alright,” she answered. She watched as Oakley opened the doors and glanced over her shoulder as the vacuum from the flat was broken and more smoke came into the room. She picked up Annie and began to head outside after him, keeping an eye on him as he climbed over the railing and used the ancient rain pipes that ran beside it to shimmy down.

As Emily readied herself to hoist Annie over the railing and drop her to Oakley, Annie began to fight her and squirm. “Princess Teddybear!” she screeched as she broke herself from Emily's grip. “I can't leave Princess Teddybear!” She ran back into the flat, into a looming wall of sooty smoke that was moving towards them.

“Annie, no!” Emily yelled after her. “Annie! Come back!”

“Emily, what happened?” Oakley yelled from below.

Emily leaned over the railing, her face soaked by tears and beginning to pick up soot from the smoke. “Annie...” she gasped. “She got away and ran back in.” She coughed. “I need to get her.”

Oakley's eyes widened. “Shit!” he yelled. “Annie!”

“It's no use, she didn't listen to me.” The smoke was beginning to billow out the doors and it made her cough harder.

“Can you make it down by yourself?” Oakley asked.

Emily nodded. “I think so.” 

“Climb down, then,” he instructed, keeping a close eye on her as she climbed over the railing and down the rain pipes, mimicking his own descent. Once she was safely on the ground, he began to climb back up. “I'm going after her,” he said, not giving Emily a moment to respond as he ascended the pipes. Within seconds, he was onto the balcony and engulfed in the smoke.

The sirens that had been sounding in the distance, seeming like they were so far away that they belonged somewhere else, became a blaring reality as they pulled into the driveway of the manor. Emily could hear men yelling commands and she yelled for them. “Help!”

Within moments, someone had run to her side of the building. “Were you the one yelling for help?” he asked. 

Emily nodded. “My husband and my daughter are in there.” Her heart began to feel like it was in a vice as the realization of what was happening began to sink in. “Please,” she whispered before collapsing onto the cold grass.

“We've got two inside,” the firefighter said into a walkie. He knelt next to Emily. “We'll get them out,” he said calmly. “Do you know where they might be in your flat?”

“Annie's room,” she answered. “First door on the right down the hallway.” The world began to swim as she looked up at the flat. She wasn't sure if it was real or imagination that there were bright yellow flames shooting from the roof. She heard the firefighter repeat the location of Annie's room into his walkie. “Please, they're all I have,” she cried.

There was a clamor as a couple of other firefighters brought a metal ladder to the balcony and ascended it, their faces obscured by respirators, every inch of them otherwise covered in dirty yellow bunker gear. They delved into the bank of smoke, sending it swirling in their wake. It felt like an eternity as she waited for something, anything, to happen, each moment measured by the heavy beat of her heart. “Please, please, please,” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away, hoping to see Oakley's and Annie's smiling faces emerge like it was really in a dream. Minutes ticked by and there was no word, nothing happening, save the messages that crackled over the walkie regarding other residences.

At last, one of the firefighters emerged, Oakley's tall frame leaned against him, his arm draped around his shoulders holding him up, Oakley coughing and barely coherent. “Can you make it?” the firefighter asked. Oakley nodded and began to climb down the ladder, his coordination slightly off, his progress hampered by a heavy fit of coughing. 

When he reached the ground, he collapsed next to Emily. His face was covered in soot with rivulets of sweat and tears carving patterns in it. His blond hair was nearly gray, its curl weighed down and smelling of smoke. “I'm sorry,” he gasped, his voice scratchy and low. “Annie, I... I...” His blue eyes seemed even more blue for all the darkness. “I couldn't...” He leaned his head on Emily's shoulder and the tears began to stream out. “I couldn't find her.”

Emily wrapped her arms around him. “Oh, Oakley,” she managed to say before she was overcome by her own emotions. She couldn't say anything else. It felt like a yawing void had opened up in her chest and she felt empty. She felt him wrap his arms around her and it felt like he was clinging to her for dear life. 

“I found her.” The words crackled out of the walkie and grabbed everyone's attention. All eyes were upon the balcony as, moments later, the other firefighter emerged from the smoke carrying Annie's limp form, her doll cradled in her arms. Another firefighter took the girl and somehow managed to navigate down the ladder carrying her before lying her on the ground.

“Is she breathing?” Oakley asked, his voice suddenly found. “Please, is she?”

They watched as the firefighters huddled around Annie. One of them removed her respirator and gloves and felt for a pulse, then began compressions on the little girl's chest. She checked for Annie's breath and then opened her mouth and breathed into it.

“No, no, no,” Emily wept into Oakley's chest. She turned away, unable to watch. “No, not Annie.” 

“I need to go to her,” Oakley whispered, pulling himself from her embrace. He knelt next to Annie on the opposite side and grasped her little hand in his. “Annaliese, I need you to pull through,” he whispered tearfully. “Please, Princess.” 

Emily made her way behind him, leaning on his shoulders. “Please, Baby,” she pleaded, her tears falling onto Annie's sooty pink shirt. “Stay for me, stay for Daddy.”

Oakley lifted her tiny hand to his lips and kissed it. She was warm. “Please Princess.” He closed his eyes and concentrated, willing her to survive. His eyes flew open when Annie coughed.

The firefighter backed away and helped Annie sit up. “Daddy?” she choked.


	23. Chapter 23

Within seconds, Oakley had her in his arms, snatched from the hard ground, despite the protest of her savior and the paramedics who had rounded the corner in time to see her take that first breath and call for him. He buried his face in her smokey, sooty curls and cried, muttering, "I thought I'd lost you," in between sobs.

No one wanted to come between them, but he finally let her go when one of the paramedics insisted she needed to go to the hospital for evaluation and that he also needed to be treated for smoke inhalation. He finally acquiesced, lying Annie down on the stretcher they had wheeled in, holding her hand as they took her to the ambulance that awaited them. Emily followed along silently, her only thoughts centered upon the man and little girl with sooty faces. This time, it was she who nearly lost them and the fact that they were in front of her, alive, was enough. She had no thoughts other than utter relief and love for them. Oakley hadn't looked at her since Annie had emerged in the arms of the firefighter, but now, as he climbed into the ambulance, he turned around, held out his hand to help her in and smiled. "I'm, sorry, but you'll have to follow along," one of the paramedics said.

Oakley glared at him and his nostrils flared. "I nearly lost my life," he growled, "and my daughter nearly lost hers. Now you treat my pregnant wife as a second class citizen? She rides with us." He set an icy stare upon the paramedic, made even more intense given the state of him. The paramedic nodded and scooted in, allowing Emily inside.

She took a seat next to Oakley and he wrapped his arms around her. "Is this what it felt like when Dina took me?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. His eyes swept from Annaliese's little face, tired but amused at the prospect of riding in the ambulance, to Emily's, full of tears and concern.

"Oh, God, I nearly lost you," she exclaimed as their eyes met. "Oakley, I don't ever want to lose you. I love you so much." She leaned her head on his chest, heard his heartbeat, and began to sob quietly.

When they arrived at the hospital, Oakley and Annie were whisked to the emergency room, Emily not far behind, delayed only for a few seconds by a nurse needing information. She rejoined them in a room, walking through the curtain to see Oakley and Annie each sitting on a small bed. The doctor was already examining Annie, a stethoscope pressed against her chest. She coughed and brought up some black phlegm. Sensing their fears, the doctor turned to Oakley and Emily and explained it was to be expected, given the time she was exposed to the smoke. "Your little girl is going to be alright, " he said. "She didn't inhale enough to do much damage, probably because she was down on the floor and closest to the cleaner air. I'd like to keep her over night for observation, but, if everything checks out in the morning, you'll be able to take her home."

It didn't hit either of them until that moment that there was no home to take her to. The hospital allowed them to use one of the family suites for the night and they were brought fresh clothes by the chaplain, who had procured them from a charity. 

Annie was allowed to stay with them, as long as they allowed the nurse to check on her as needed.

As Emily settled down into the hard mattress of the hospital bed next to Oakley, she wept. Her tears dropped hard and heavy on his shoulder, her heart just as heavy. “I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you two,” she said, her voice choked with sobs. “I couldn't do this on my own.”

Oakley ran his fingers down her back, then back up, playing along her spine like piano keys, His fingers finally settled at the base of her neck, tangling in her hair. “We've lost everything,” he sighed, “Except we still have each other.” His breath fell upon her like a gust of resolve. “I can replace things, but I can't replace my girls.”

Emily looked up to see him watching her, a sadly satisfied smile on his face. She reached up and cupped his jaw, her own fingers playing tenderly in the scruff that was there. “What was it like?” she asked. “What was it like when you went back in?”

He shivered, “Like nothing I'd care to ever be in again,” he answered. “The flat was so full of smoke that I had to feel my way around, trusting my memory of where everything was. I crawled on the ground once it got too dense. It was horribly hot, the fire had by then burned through the wall and climbing through. I could see bright spots and couldn't tell if they were windows or flame. When I made it to Annie's room, I felt everywhere, but she wasn't there. I tried to go out to see if she'd gotten lost, but I couldn't find her, I could only hear her crying.” Tears fell from his eyes as he remembered.

“I can't imagine how awful,” she whispered.

They held each other in silence, letting the emotions they'd kept in check for the sake of Annie was over them in a flood of tears, finally falling into deep, dreamless sleep.

Annie slept quietly in a bed in the corner, hooked up to various monitors that kept track of her blood oxygen levels and heart rate, among other things, Her dolly had been washed by one of the nurses and held only a trace of her own ordeal and was tucked into the crook of Annie's free arm, dressed in her own new clothing.

When they awoke, Oakley was surprised that Annie slept without nightmares, given what she had gone through. They had been awakened only once by a nurse checking on her, otherwise woke up refreshed, despite the hardness of the mattress they slept on. He glanced around the room, smiling at Annie's sleeping form. When he looked at Emily, he saw that she was also stirring. “Good morning,” he said quietly, trying not to disturb Annie. “How are you feeling?”

Emily smiled sleepily. “Good morning,” she replied. “I should be asking you, but I feel fine.” She stretched and he took the opportunity to slide his arm under the curve of her back and pull her into a kiss.

“Throat's a little scratchy,” he answered once he released her. “Otherwise, I'm alright.” He chuckled and she gave him a curious look. “I don't think I'll be smoking any more. There's no way I'll be able to stand the smell of anything on fire now.”

Amused, she said, “Well, I guess if there's one good thing to come out of it...” She leaned close and kissed him again. “I love you.”

Oakley rested his palm against her stomach, feeling the softness of her, the slight bulge of her belly as she curled into him. “I don't know what we're going to do,” he mumbled. “We obviously need to find a new place, but I have no idea where to go before then.”

“Can we stay in a hotel?” she asked. “Until we find somewhere?”

Oakley shook his head. “That would eat up our savings faster than we could replenish it.” He was silent for a second before exclaiming, “Fuck. I need to call in to work.” He leaned over to the bedside table and grabbed the hospital phone from it. First, he dialed information and then had them connect him to the garage. Emily assumed John had answered the phone, because Oakley's tone changed from professional to casual in a flash.

“John?” she whispered once she had his attention. Oakley nodded.

She overheard Oakley's end of the conversation, where he was telling John what had happened, that they were in the hospital, everyone was alright, but that they'd lost everything. He teared up again and she heard him say, “Thank you, just, thank you.” Once he had hung up the phone, he sank back into the pillows. “We're invited to stay with John and Ellie until we find a new flat. They have a guest house,” he sighed in relief.

“Oh, thank God,” Emily exclaimed. “We'll have to do something for them.”

A nurse knocked lightly on the door and entered the room. “I'm just checking on the wee one for the last time,” she said. “Is she awake?”

As Oakley and Emily shook their heads, they heard Annie's voice from the bed in the corner. “I'm awake!” she squeaked. Her little voice had been affected by the smoke and was scratchy like Oakley's but pitched even higher. She sounded like a little mouse. She sat up as the nurse approached and let her examine her without complaint, following each instruction she was given.

Satisfied with her examination, the nurse turned to Oakley and Emily. “Annaliese seems to be doing well. Her oxygen levels are good, all of her vitals check out,” she said, glancing at the clipboard in her hands. “She is a perfectly healthy four year old, despite the trauma yesterday. You are clear to check out.” She smiled cordially at them before turning and exiting the room.

“Well, we best get on with it, then,“ Oakley groaned once the door had been closed.

Emily nodded. “How are we getting to John and Ellie's?” she asked.

“I'll call a taxi, but let's take advantage of that hot shower,” he smiled, waggling his eyebrows at Emily. As he stood up and walked past Annaliese, he said, “Annie, darling, Mummy and Daddy are going to take a shower. You be a good little princess, now. Alright?”

"Yes, daddy,” Annie answered innocently. “I'll play with Princess Teddybear.”

She grinned and followed him into the bathroom. It's sterile atmosphere and cold tiles made her shiver and even more eager to get into the hot water. The stall was smaller than they were used to and she had to press against Oakley as she stepped in. “It's a bit cozy in here, isn't it?” she said as he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed soap along her back.

“I rather like it,” he growled into her ear.

“Oakley!” she said with mock sternness. She leaned in and kissed him deeply, feeling the water from the shower as it cascaded over them. She could feel his hardness growing against her and pressed herself even closer to him. “I can be quiet if you can,” she purred.

He grinned a cheshire grin and grasped her hips, hoisting her up against the wall. She wrapped her legs around him and felt him at her entrance for just a moment before he plunged into her depths. He moved slowly, intimately, just enough that she could feel him, every muscle inside her. She gyrated against him, tightening herself for him so he could feel every bit of her as well. It was becoming a carefully timed minuet, each little movement leading up to a tender chorus. He kissed and nipped at her neck and her collarbone and her lips, and she responded in kind, feeling the intensity build inside her, until she came undone. To keep herself quiet, she leaned her mouth against his shoulder, moaning as she hit her crest, feeling him reaching his own as well until they both had their release. He let her down and grabbed more soap, washing her, letting the evidence of their passion mix with the foam and water. She repaid the favor, washing him as well, feeling more intimate now than they had before.

Silently, they exited the shower and dried off, no longer feeling the need for words. They got dressed in the same clothing, having nothing else to wear and went back into the main room of the suite. Annie was sitting calmly on her bed, no longer connected to wires and monitors, softly singing a song to her dolly. Emily approached her and wrapped her arms around the little girl and Oakley followed suit, his muscular arms surrounding both of them. “My girls,” he whispered as he nuzzled Emily and then leaned down to kiss the top of Annie's head. “My girls.”

 


	24. Chapter 24

The taxi pulled up in front of John and Ellie's home and Oakley, Emily and Annaliese were greeted by Ellie's welcoming smile as they got out. It seemed surreal to be arriving somewhere that wasn't home and not bringing any luggage. 

“Thank you so much,” Emily exclaimed as Ellie pulled her into a hug. Ellie was always the motherly type to her. She was shorter than Emily, kept her brown hair in a bob, wore glasses and more often than not, was usually dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt of some sort. “I can't thank you enough.”

As Ellie let her go, she clucked, “Nonsense. You three are like family.”

Annie, who had taken to falling asleep on Oakley's shoulder during the ride from the hospital sat up and smiled. “Aunt Ellie!” she yelled, squirming to get down from Oakley's arms and running to grab Ellie's leg.

“Well, hello, Princess, Annie,” Ellie grinned. “Are you ready to see your temporary castle?”

“Yes!” Annie grasped her hand and let Ellie guide her to the gate on the left side of the little stone cottage. Oakley and Emily followed through the arbor that was green with the new spring leaves of wisteria and ivy, into the back yard, In the same stone as the main house, there was a little guest house with a flagstone path that led from the back patio.

“John uses this as his Man Cave,” Ellie explained as she unlocked the door. “I made him clean it up this morning so it would be a little more homey.” As the door swung open, she stepped out of the way. 

Inside the guest house, it was cozy. There was a wall of a makeshift kitchen, a hot plate, a microwave and a mini refrigerator along with a bank of small cupboards. In the center of the room was a sofa, a couple end-tables and a worn coffee table. To the right of the sofa, a billiard table that had been covered with a vinyl cover. On the far side, a huge flat-screen television was bracketed to the wall, a shelf underneath it housing the satellite box. On either side was a doorway. Ellie pointed to the one on the right and said, “Bathroom, shower, nothing exciting.” To the one on the left, she pointed and said, “That's a small room, really not much more than a large closet, but I figured we could put an air mattress in there and Annie could sleep in there.” Ellie watched as they took in their surroundings. “I'm sorry if it's a bit small...” she began to apologize. 

“Nonsense,” replied Emily, “You're opening up your home to us and you didn't have to.” She turned to Ellie and gave her another hug. “Thank you so, so much.”

“You are like family,” Ellie answered, her eyes filled with tears as Emily released her. “Just so you know, the sofa is a fold-out, so you'll have more room to sleep that way.” She made her way back to the door. “I'll let you get settled in. I'll let you know when dinner is.” Before anyone had any chance to argue with her, she left.

Emily sat down on the sofa, sinking into its cushions and Oakley sat beside her, draping his arm over her shoulder. “I should go back and see what's left,” he sighed. “I hope we still have a car.” he knew that he would still be able to work, catching a lift with John in the mornings, but he didn't want Emily to have to rely on asking Ellie or Amanda for rides to handle errands or go to work herself.

“I suppose so,” Emily agreed. “I'd like to go with you, though.”

Oakley shook his head. “Then we'd have to bring Annie and I don't think she would do well going back there, She's been through so much in her short life, any trauma I can help her avoid, I will.” He kissed Emily's cheek. “So have you.”

“Alright.” Emily leaned into his shoulder and took a deep breath. “At some point in time, we need to get some more clothes.”

“I know,” he replied. “I was thinking we could take tomorrow and go to some of the consignment shops in town. I've also got to call our solicitor and inquire about the insurance. It should all be covered.”

Emily sighed, “Oh, thank God there's that.” She lifted her head and leaned in front of him. “Just tell me that, when the time comes to find a new place, we won't go too far away.”

He smiled. “I promise.”

The afternoon was fairly uneventful, Ellie having prepared dinner while Oakley's family settled in so it would be done when John arrived home. John was his usual jovial self, giving Emily a peck on the cheek and swinging Annaliese into the air. He greeted Oakley with, “The guys at the shop all send their regards.” His smile was one of warmth, but also sympathy. “They've taken a collection for you, to help your family through this.”

“I plan on working in a couple days,” Oakley replied. “I'll thank them then, but please tell them thank you for me as well.”

“Will do.” John said before excusing himself to clean up for dinner.

They devoured the Shepherd's Pie Ellie had prepared and nearly inhaled the pudding she'd made for dessert before they were rubbing their bellies and complementing her cuisine. Even Annie had eaten every morsel, despite her aversion to most vegetables. As they finished drinking their wine, Oakley leaned back in his chair. “That was one of the most delicious meals I've ever tasted, Ellie,” he said as he stretched. Emily kicked him gently under the table and he scowled at her with a, “Hey, I said one of.”

“Just kidding around,” she grinned. “I know I have a few meals that would win.”

He winked at her before turning his attention to John. “Hey, John,” he began. “Could I get a ride out to the flat before it gets too late? I want to see if we still have a car.”

John nodded. “Yup,” he answered. “Give me a minute to digest my dinner and I'll be happy to.”  
Ellie had stood up and reached in front of him to grab his empty plate. “Emily,” she said as she continued clearing the dishes from the table. “Why don't you go with them?”

Emily stood up to help. “I'm not sure there's much I could do there,” she said, shaking her head. “Besides, the least I can do is to help you clean up after making such a wonderful dinner for us.” 

Ellie headed into the kitchen. “Nonsense,” she yelled. “I'll watch Annie and I'm sure she'll be an excellent helper.” She ducked around the kitchen doorway. “Won't you Princess Annie?”

Annie jumped up from her chair. “Yes, I will, Auntie Ellie!” she yelled excitedly. Her little hand began reaching up to the table and grabbing any unused utensils. She carried them carefully into the kitchen. “Here you go!”

“Well, I guess that decision is made for me,” Emily shrugged. She looked at Oakley. “Do you mind?”

He shook his head. “I don't mind.”

They left when Annie was helping Ellie with the dishes, getting her hands wet in the sink and giggling as soap bubbles filled the air. It wasn't far to get to the flat, their homes only a mile from each other, and the sun was still up, though not for long. As they pulled into the drive, they could see the charred remains of the manor. Half of it was still standing, the other half, in which they had lived, was nothing more than bones, blackened and barely standing. There were piles of detritus that the firefighters had thrown from the windows cluttering the ground and it smelled of smoke and electrical. The garage was still there, seemingly unscathed by the fire, save the beam that blocked it from them. There was a car parked in front of where the front door had been and, as John steered his car to rest next to it, they could see the bulking visage of the Superintendent as he poked through the remains.

“Hello, Mr. Donnelly,” Oakley called as he got out of the car. He waved and nodded when the older man waved back. Turning towards John and Emily, he said, “I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have a chat with Mr. Donnelly.” 

Emily watched as Oakley trotted over to talk with Mr. Donnelly and John wandered towards the structure and began poking around. She decided to follow John, circling to the back of the building and looking up to where their flat had been. She could imagine it just as it had been the previous day, how happy they had been before the fire, how perfect. Her eye was caught by the glint of something metal in the pile of burned debris, something that picked up the red of the sunset on the horizon. She leaned down to pick it up and recognized it immediately. It was her grandmother's brooch, one that she'd been given as a wedding present to her by her mother. She picked it up and slid it into her pocket, then leaned back down to dig through the pile, hoping she would find more.

As Oakley rounded the corner, he shouted, “Babe! What are you doing?” 

She stood up and wiped an errant hair from her face, leaving an inadvertent black streak of soot across her cheek. “I found my grandmother's brooch!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I was hoping I could find more.”

“Have you?” he asked as he stopped by her side. “I doubt there's much of anything left.”

Emily shook her head. “No, that's it,” she answered sadly. “Does Mr. Donnelly know what happened?”

Oakley sighed. “It seems that little shit in the flat across from us decided to set a few playing cards on fire,” he growled, his face showing his total disgust at the situation. “He threw them on his bed and then left. His mum was asleep on the sofa and she had no idea until the alarm went off in their flat.” His hands were balled into fists and he looked like he wanted to punch something. “Because of that little shit, my daughter almost lost her life!”

“Thankfully, she didn't, and neither did you,” Emily said quietly as she leaned into him.

Oakley stopped his rage, her touch instantly calming him. “You're right,” he mumbled. “You're right.” He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. “We could have lost so, so much more.”

John rounded the corner as they stood there and announced, “Oakley, mate, it looks like you still have a car.” He stopped when he saw them, realizing he was interrupting a private moment. Backpedaling, he said, “Sorry, I didn't realize...”

“It's okay, John,” Oakley replied as he turned around. “Let's go take a look at that car.” He and Emily followed John back to the garage and Emily watched the men as they hoisted the beam that was blocking the door out of the way. The electricity had been shut off, so John used a hatchet he had found in the ruins to break through the automatic door. Oakley's car was untouched. He walked into the garage and ran his hand along the fender, wiping a light dusting of soot from it. “I can't believe it,” he exclaimed.


	25. Chapter 25

“Fucking insurance people,” Oakley growled as he hung up the phone. They had been staying at John and Ellie's for some weeks now and, while it was wonderful that Ellie was willing to watch Annaliese so they could work and try to get a new flat squared away, both he and Emily were afraid that their welcome would begin to wear thin soon. “They say that they need to get a copy of the official report on the fire before they can process our claims.”

Emily stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders, her thumbs digging into the knotted muscles in his neck. “How long will that take?” she asked, softly kissing the top of his head.

Oakley leaned back into her and looked up, his blue eyes catching her green, his head leaned against the soft curve of her pregnant belly. “They can't say,” he sighed. “I think they're just stalling.” He furrowed his brows. “I don't know what the fuck they're worried about. It's not like we had millions of dollars in electronics. It's just the flat and the household items we had.”

“How is your trust fund?” Emily didn't want to ask him, knowing he had used a majority of it on the flat. It had all gone up in smoke. 

He shook his head. “Nearly gone,” he answered. “And I don't dare ask anyone for a loan.” Emily felt like asking him why, but refrained, figuring he would explain something in the past. She reached down to caress his cheek. “I suppose we could ask to stay with your mum if we really needed to,” he sighed.

“Mum is too far away,” Emily reasoned. “Besides that, her house is too small for all three of us, as much as she'd love to see Annie every day.” Amanda had formed a bond with Annie, especially after the girl's natural grandmother had succumbed to the cancer she had been fighting when Annie first stayed with her. “She loves that baby,” she smiled. 

“I know,” he replied. “And I know Annie loves her.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I just hope it's the same when the babies arrive.”

“We've still got a couple months before we have to worry about that.” Emily backed away from him. “I've got to use the loo,” she laughed. “These babies are kicking my bladder.”

Oakley laughed. “You know, I don't think I've felt them kick yet,” he said as he sat up and watched her. “Come here.” He held his arms out.

“I'll be right back,” Emily protested as she ducked into the bathroom. 

He put his arms down and grabbed his phone from the sofa cushion. Flicking it on and scrolling through his contacts, he stopped on one particular one. He debated a moment, then pressed it, starting the call, and held the phone up to his ear. It rang twice before it was answered. “Hello?” came from the other end. Her voice sounded like he remembered it, honey sweet.

“Hi, Mum,” he said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. He hadn't talked with her since the second time Dina had taken Annaliese from him and, while he felt guilty, he also felt like they were little more than strangers. 

There was a sigh from her end. “Well, my long lost son,” she exclaimed. “God, you sound like your father.”

“Please don't mention him,” Oakley responded. “How are you?”

“Well, Damon and I are getting on famously,” she laughed. “We've been working with the missionaries in Mumbai, you know?” Damon was her third husband. They had been married for five years, having met in New Dehli and fallen in love based on their shared interests in Eastern Religions. 

“No, actually,” he answered, wondering if calling her had been a mistake. 

“How are you?” she asked, seeming genuinely interested.

He paused a moment, then answered. “Well, a lot has happened since we last spoke.”

“So I'd heard,” she replied. “I talked with Vee and it seems you've been in the news a bit.” Oakley wondered just how much Vee had told her. He found it odd that his mother had stayed in contact with his father's cousin even after the divorce, but, then again, the two of them had become instant friends and Vee never faulted her for leaving. He was about to ask when she continued, “There was something about that Dina you were dating?”

He sighed and it was loud enough that he hoped she heard it as well. “We weren't just dating, we had a child,” he said, “And, yes, that was in the news.” He gave her the condensed version of meeting Emily, of what happened with Dina, his getting custody of Annaliese, finally. “Emily and I are married and expecting twins,” he finished. “And that brings me to why I've called. We need a little help.”

“Oakley,” she exclaimed, “I am so happy to hear you say that! What do you need?”

“Well,” he hesitated, uncomfortable with the idea of asking her for help. “Our flat burned down a few weeks ago and we really don't want to impose on the friends we are staying with any more than we need to...” His voice trailed off as Emily returned, saw he was on the phone and sat down silently next to him.

“Do you need money? Is that it?” his mother asked. “You know, we don't have much here, most of it goes to fund the charities we're working with.” 

“Who?” Emily mouthed as she watched him.

Oakley covered the mic on his phone. “It's my mum,” he whispered. She responded only with a nod. To his mother, he replied, “No, Mum, I don't need money. We had insurance. I'm just wondering, do you still have that summer cottage in Weymouth?”

“Well, yes,” she said, “But it's horribly cold there this time of year. Certainly not the kind of weather to take a vacation in.”

“No,” he interrupted, “I was just hoping we could stay there for a bit, just until we get the insurance settled.”

“Absolutely, Darling,” she answered. “I'll call Katie and have her get the house ready. I'd imagine it's a bit dusty from sitting for the winter.”

“Thank you, Mum. I love you,” he said before hanging up. 

“So, we have a place to stay a while?” Emily asked as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Oakley kissed her gently. “We do, at least for a while. It's larger than this and it will give us some room to breath.”

She reached over and placed his hand on her abdomen. “Babies are kicking,” she grinned. “Isn't Weymouth a bit far?”

“I'll take a leave from work,” he answered. “They'll understand.” He smiled as he felt the squirm of the babied inside her, the soft rotating curve of one of them rolling to fit the palm of his hand.

“Haven't you already taken enough time off?” she asked. “Are you sure it will be alright?” She was more worried about his job than she was about her own, having already made arrangements to work from home after the fire. 

Oakley nodded. “I have, but I need to do this for you, for Annie, for the babies.” 

“I understand,” she smiled. “I hope your boss does, too.” She turned towards him a bit, adjusting his hand. “Do you feel it?” she asked.

“Is that a kick?” he grinned, leaning close to her belly. “That's quite a roundhouse you've got, little one,” he chuckled. Sitting back up and looking at Emily, he asked, “What does it feel like to you?”

Emily laughed, “A bad case of gas.” When he gave her a funny look, she elaborated. “You know when you drink something carbonated really quickly and you get those bubbles that feel like something is moving?” He nodded. “Well, it feels like that.” 

Oakley leaned back down and kissed her belly, feeling the babies push up against his lips. “I can't wait to meet you, my angels,” he whispered.

Emily chuckled, “You know, with as close as you are down there, I'm about ready to strip right now.” She waggled her eyebrows at him when he glanced up at her. She shrugged, “Pregnancy hormones.”

He slid his hands down her sides, grazing her stomach and then brushing over the top of her skirt and gently sliding it up before reaching between her thighs and parting her legs and kissing her sensitive flesh. “Well, Annie is out at the park with Ellie and they're not expected to be back for a while.” He kissed closer to her sex. “And I know we haven't had much time to enjoy those wonderful pregnancy hormones.”

She ran her fingers into his curls. “I know we haven't,” she sighed, her voice hitching as she felt his fingers push the lace of her panties to the side and delicately dance over her mound. She let out a small mewl as he leaned closer, plunging his tongue into her slit and swiping it across the tensile bundle of nerves that waited for him. He swirled his tongue around her nub and slid his fingers into her depths, pressing against her most sensitive spot. Emily responded to his ministrations by arching her back and moaning, her fingers tangled even more in his hair, holding him to her as he suckled her. She felt her apex approach, surprised at how rapidly it hit. Almost instantaneously, she was writhing against him, screaming his name as her body convulsed with absolute pleasure. She screamed his name as her orgasm washed over her. 

Once her climax subsided, pulled himself from her and grasped the sides of her panties and pulled them down, gently guiding them down her legs and throwing them on the floor. As he sat back up, he felt her grasp his jeans, unbuttoning them as quickly as she could. Emily could feel his hardness as it pushed against his zipper and delicately maneuvered it down, releasing him as she grasped the denim and shoved it down over his hips. Oakley barely had a moment to get his jeans the rest of the way down before she had leaned back against the sofa cushions, her legs opened for him. 

With a growl, he plunged into her, sheathing himself with her completely as she let out a long moan. He could feel her muscles already tensing and beginning to milk him as he pulled back out and repeated his movements, this time taking his time as he slid back inside her. 

Emily writhed as he entered her, feeling herself already on the cusp of another zenith. As he thrust, she pumped her hips against him while her mouth seeked his. She found his bottom lip and sucked on it before he plunged his tongue into her mouth, letting her taste herself on his lips. This was enough to send her over the glorious edge once again. Her hands, previously rested against the small of his back, migrated to the curve of his ass and tightened their grip with each of his movements until she was wracked with a paroxysm, her walls squeezing around him as she screamed his name. He arched his back and peppered her neck with kisses as she came, his own orgasm impending. As hers quieted, he felt his own climax and thrust into her with a groan, bucking as his hot release coated her. 

They laid there a while, still connected, his cock softening inside her as he leaned his head on her shoulder. “I guess we should begin making arrangements,” she finally whispered. “If we're going to Weymouth in the morning.”

“That's the plan,” he chuckled, pulling from her. “Care for a shower in the meantime?” he asked as he got up and walked towards the bathroom.

Emily smiled at him and stood up from the sofa. “Sounds wonderful,” she sighed as she followed him.


	26. Chapter 26

The most difficult part of the move wasn't breaking the news they were leaving to John and Ellie, nor was it gathering what meager belongings they'd managed to accumulate in the two months since the fire, but taking Annie away from Ellie. The two of them had grown thick as thieves, taking daily outings to the park or the library and play group while Emily and Oakley worked. Ellie was the aunt Annie didn't have, and Annie the child Ellie wanted. As Oakley buckled Annie into the car, she burst into tears, and as they drove away, screamed for Aunt Ellie. Emily tried to explain that they would be back, that she would see Ellie again, but the little girl wasn't having it. "To be fair, everyone that has left her hasn't always returned," Oakley reasoned.

"I know," Emily sighed. "I don't blame her. Especially with this last month." They had gotten news that Susan, Annie's maternal grandmother was in hospice. Oakley insisted they make the trek to visit her and, when they got there, she was alert and chipper, happy to see Annie. Annie had been ecstatic, clinging onto the woman the entire time they were there, but, a few hours later, they'd received word that she'd passed. Emily had left it to Oakley to explain to Annie that her grandmother was now with her mother. Surprisingly, Annie had taken it well, but, then again, she'd never been as close to her grandmother as she was to Ellie. 

It was a three hour trip to Weymouth and Annie slept for most of it, having exhausted herself with her tears. Emily had also fallen asleep, leaving Oakley to drive. He'd compensated by turning some music on, upbeat but leaving the volume lo, careful not to wake either of them. There had been one stop at a grocery to get a drink, but, otherwise, he drove straight through, using the navigation to guide him. 

His mother's cottage was on the cove, flanked on either side by identical cottages, positioned at the end of a lane that was set apart from the more tourist areas. It was whitewashed with a red tile roof, Spanish inspired. There was a low stone fence with a small blue gate in front, the door itself matching the gate. "We're here," he announced as he parked the car on the curb. 

Emily stirred. "Here?" she asked, blinking and still half asleep. 

Oakley nodded and caught an older woman approaching their car out of the corner of his eyes. "Yes, in Weymouth," he rereplied, "And this must be Katie come to greet us." He patted Emily's hand where it rested on her belly and got out of the car.

The woman looked him up and down, gauging him. "Mister Oakley?" she asked. When he nodded, she introduced herself. "M'name's Katie," she said, "I've got the key. I take care of the cottage in the off season. Your mum called me and I've cleaned it. It's all ready for your family, though I don't know why you'd want to stay here in the off season." She held her hand out to him and when he reached his own hand out, she dropped the key into it.

"Thank you, Katie," Oakley chuckled, "It's a long story."

She raised her eyebrow at him, but thought better of pressing him for more. "Well, kitchen is fully stocked." Hiking a thumb towards the adjacent house on the left, she said, "I'm over there if you need anything else."

"I trust we'll be fine, Katie, thank you," Oakley said as she began trudging back to her own cottage.

Emily had gotten out of the car and was gently trying to wake Annie up. "Princess Annie," she said softly as she unbuckled the girl, "Your castle awaits."

Annie nodded and stretched, rubbing her eyes as Emily pulled her from the car. "Where are we?" she asked sleepily.

"We're at a beach house," Oakley answered as he rushed to approach. To Emily, he said, "Darling, let me take her. I don't want you to over exert yourself." 

Emily would have normally argued, but she was too exhausted from the journey to say anything other than, "Let's get inside and worry about the stuff in the car later."

Oakley nodded. "I'm a bit hungry," he said, hoisting Annie over his shoulders. "Katie said that there's a full larder in the house."

"Thank god," Emily groaned as she followed him through the gate and the small front yard to the door. "I was afraid we would need to visit the grocery before anything else."

As Oakley swung the door open, he stepped aside, letting Emily enter first. She smiled. The cottage was sparsely decorated, only a couple paintings adorning the white walls, the sofa and accompanying arm chairs upholstered in a sand colored fabric, accented with a sea blue pillow on each. There was a bookshelf on one wall, built with rough hewn wood and whitewashed, piled with volumes of books. "It's lovely," she exclaimed as Oakley set Annie down and closed the door.

"Just like I remember it," he mused, "Though when I was a kid, it seemed much larger than this." He wrapped his arm around Emily and stepped in front of her. "Shall I give you the grand tour, madam?"

Emily giggled. "I would love it," she answered. 

Oakley guided her into the kitchen. It was small, a wall of counters and cupboards on one side with a refrigerator in the center of them, a sink and a stove crowded under a porthole window. Adjacent to them was a set of French doors with a cafe table in front of them. The view from the kitchen was breathtaking despite the season. The sea was gray and roiling, the clouds doubly so, enough, in fact that there was no telling where the sky ended and the sea began with the exception of the fishing trawlers that bobbed on the horizon.

From the kitchen, he directed her down a small hallway. The first door he opened was a tiny room with a twin bed and a bureau. It was painted the same dusky blue as the pillows in the living room, the duvet on the bed echoing the sand color. There was a set of shelves on the wall all adorned with toy ships, cars, soldiers. "Yours?" Emily asked.

Oakley nodded. "All from when I was a young boy."

Annie snuck in between their legs. "Is this my room?" she asked bouncing onto the bed. "Can I play with those?" she pointed to the toys.

"Yes, and yes, Princess," Oakley laughed. He had been hesitant bringing them here, afraid that he was causing even more turmoil in their lives, but, as he watched Annie, those fears dissipated. 

He and Emily left Annie to play and continued to the next room. It was a tiny bathroom, pedestal sink, toilet and single occupant shower. While Emily looked at it with a smirk of distaste, Oakley shrugged sheepishly. The third and final door was the master bedroom. It was positioned at the end of the hallway and nearly the size of the living room. The walls were painted a light brown, making it seem cozy. The double bed in the middle had a blue duvet and was piled high with navy blue pillows. There was a large bureau on the opposite side of the room and white nightstands with lamps crafted from sun bleached driftwood.

Emily flopped down on her back on the bed. "I'm exhausted," she sighed. "I just want to lie down and sleep for three days."

Oakley laid down next to her. "I'm tired, too," he said, "But I'm even more hungry." Propping himself up on an elbow, he asked, "Do you mind if I go find something to eat?"

Shaking her head, "Emily answered, "Just save some for me!" She grinned as she kissed him.

Annie came in just as Oakley left, his hand sliding through her curls as they passed. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

"Yes," she answered a bit over dramatically."First, I want to see your room." She climbed up on the bed with Emily and looked around, her eyes taking in the tiniest details.

"Alright," Oakley responded. "Come in when you want food." He left the door open as he made his way to the kitchen.

Emily sat up and smiled at Annie. She watched as the little girl reached out and began touching everything, her little fingers delicately dancing along each surface. After a few minutes, she heard the faint sound of a knock on the door, which Oakley answered, then the muffled sound of voices, Oakley's and a woman. "I'm going out now," she told Annie as she got off the bed.

The voices got louder as she walked down the hallway. Oakley was not in the kitchen and, as she entered the living room, she found Oakley wrapped in a woman's arms, an uncomfortable smile on his face. "Oakley?" she said quietly.

The woman let him go, but he kept his arm around he shoulder as he turned around. His face was beet red as he said, "Darling, I'd like you to meet my mum."


	27. Chapter 27

"Hello, I'm Gillian," she said as she approached, "And you must be Emily." Oakley's mother looked like a female version of him. She, too, was lithe, not as tall, modelesque, with blond curls that she had pulled into a bun. She wore a pair of palazzo pants made from some exotic material and a crisp, white button up shirt covered by a gray cardigan. She had kicked her shoes off by the door and padded silently across the wood floor. As she embraced a stunned Emily, she exclaimed, "She's just beautiful, Oakley!" 

Emily was uncomfortable. She squirmed a bit in the woman's arms, feeling like she was some sort of object to be gawked at. Graciously, she said, "Yes, I'm Emily. Can I get you something, Mrs.... Perhaps a spot of tea?"

"Mrs. Graber, but please, call me Gillian," she replied as she let go. "Yes, tea would be wonderful. It's so much cooler here than Madras."

Oakley walked to Emily's side and put his arm around her waist. "What a wonderful idea," he smiled. "Let's all go into the kitchen." He kissed Emily on the temple. Once they were in the kitchen, he pointed to the cafe table. "I'll get the kettle going, you sit down, Darling."

Emily followed Gillian to the table and sat down across from her. She turned to watch Oakley, unsure of what she should say to her newfound mother in law. "I left Annie in our room," she announced. "Would you like me to call her out?"

Oakley shook his head. "Not quite yet." Sensing the unease at the table, he filled in the necessary banter. "So, Mum, what brings you here?"

Gillian smiled. "Well, I never know where you are," she began, "and I figured, since you are staying in my house that I'd come to visit." 

"We've only just arrived," he replied. "Don't you think it might have been nice to give us time to settle in?"

She gave him a sour look. "Nonsense. I figured we could all get settled in together. No reason why we couldn't all get comfortable here."

"There's only two bedrooms here," he sighed. 

"The sofa is a pull out," she smiled. "I'm sure that the two of you will be very comfortable there."

Emily opened her mouth as if to speak, but clamped it shut when Oakley gave her a reproachful look. "So, you mean to stay with us?" He asked.

"It's only to help," Gillian answered. "And I'd love to get to know my little granddaughter. Speaking of which, where is Annaliese?"

Standing up from the table, Emily announced, "I'll get her." She began to walk from the room, glaring at Oakley and shaking her head. 

Once she entered the hallway, she leaned back against the wall and took a much needed breath. "Annie?" she called into the room. It was silent. She peeked inside and found the little girl asleep on the bed, her hands curled around an old stuffed puppy. Emily couldn't bare to disturb her.

"Annie's taking a nap," she said as she returned to the kitchen. Oakley had finished the tea and brought it over to the table on a tray before sitting down himself.

"Mum has been telling me of her work in India," he said as Emily sat down next to him. "She's been working with the missionaries in the slums of Mumbai."

"It's fascinating work, really," Gillian continued, taking Oakley's cue. "These people live in absolute filth and they live right next to the richest areas of the country."

"So, what exactly do you do there? " Emily asked.

Gillian took a sip of tea. "We build churches and start schools." 

"What about helping them grow food or get out of the slums?" Emily wondered. "I don't see how building a church and starting a school would help much."

That put Gillian on the defensive. "You obviously never had to fight for an education," she remarked. "Without education, these people are stuck right where they are."

"Mum," Oakley interjected, trying to diffuse the situation, "You've never had to fight for education, either."

She glared at him for a moment, took another sip of tea and sighed. "Neither of you have been there, to Mumbai, I mean, so I can't expect you to have much of a world view."

Eager to steer the conversation towards something more comfortable, Emily asked, "So, Gillian, it's so wonderful to have you visit. I was wondering how long we might expect you to stay?"

With a chuckle, Gillian answered, "As long as I'm needed. I really am considering selling this old place. I rarely come here any more, so it's more a thorn in my side."

There was a clatter down the hallway and the sound of Annie's cry rang like an alarm bell through the cottage. Oakley was up in a flash, down the hallway to see what was the matter. He returned to the kitchen with Annie in his arms, her little legs wrapped around his torso, her head rested on his shoulder, her hands holding on to the back of his neck. "She had a bit of a nightmare," he explained, "And kicked one of the lamps off the nightstand. She's alright."

Emily stood up and kissed the crown of Annie's head. "Are you alright, Sweetheart?" she asked.

"It's so nice that you are so loving with that child," Gillian commented, "Given that she's the product of something so awful. I would have some terrible associations, myself."

Oakley glared at her. "Is that why you left me with my father?"

"Annie is the sweetest girl," Emily replied, attempting to break tree tension that was now rising between Gillian and Oakley. "I love her like she was my own."

"Just you wait until those babies are born," Gillian smiled, "It'll be different then." Turning her attention back to Oakley, she answered, through gritted teeth, "That is not why I left you with him and you know it. I left because he was terribly abusive. He beat me."

"Just so you know," Oakley grumbled, "once you left, he beat me. In fact, the last time I saw him, he told me how worthless he thought I was, how terrible it was for him to have such a lazy son, right before he punched me." The pain was still obvious in Oakley's eyes as they began to tear up. 

Annie heard him sniffle and lifted her head. "Don't cry, Daddy," she said, lifting her hand to softly cup his cheek.

"Thank you, Princess," Oakley smiled.

"You're a mean lady for making my daddy cry," Annie glared accusingly over Oakley's shoulder at Gillian.

Gillian huffed. "Well, I can see you've not even bothered to teach that child proper respect," she exclaimed indignantly. "When you were a lad, that would have garnered you a good whooping."

"Annie deserves no such thing," Oakley defended. He set the girl down on his lap and said, "Annie, Darling, this is my mum, your grandmum."

"Now, come give your grandmum a hug and make nice," Gillian said sweetly, holding her arms out to the girl.

Annie stayed put and shook her head. "I'm hungry, Mummy," she told Emily.

"What would you like, Sweetheart?" Emily asked, ignoring the look of annoyance from Gillian it garnered her.

"A sandwich," Annie answered.

"I'll get it for her," Oakley said as he stood and transferred Annie to Gillian's lap. "Now, here, get to know your grandmum. She'll be staying with us for a bit."

Annie looked up and studied the older woman's face. "I like my other granny better," she said decidedly before wiggling off Gillian's lap and climbing onto Emily's. "I'd rather sit with my Mummy."

Gillian looked as though she'd been slapped. "It's so nice she calls you Mummy," she said snidely. Standing from the table, she stretched and announced, "I've had a long flight and drive in. I should probably settle in myself. Oakley, would you be a dear and take my things to my room?"

Oakley dropped the knife he'd had in his hand loudly into the sink. "I'm sure you're quite capable of taking them in, yourself, Mother," he growled. 

Silently, Gillian retreated to the living room only to return with her luggage. As she walked past the kitchen, she commented, "Well, now I know where that child gets her insolence from. You're just like your father was, he never cared for my well-being, either." Without waiting for a reaction, she continued on, locking herself in the master bedroom.

Oakley finished making Annie's sandwich and sat back down at the table. Emily patted his hand. "I don't know how long I'm going to be able to stand living with your mother," she sighed.

"Honestly," he answered, "Neither can I."


	28. Chapter 28

"Emily, dear, would you be so kind as to help me make dinner," Gillian called from the kitchen.

Emily shot a look of disdain at Oakley before standing from her comfortable seat in an armchair to make her way to the kitchen. "Did you call about the money?" she asked quietly as she passed by him.

"I'll call again," he answered. "After Mum has gone for the day tomorrow." He tried to diffuse the situation with a hopeful smile that failed miserably when Emily scowled at him.

They had been at the beach side cottage for nearly two weeks. While the first few days had been taxing, it had been sunny and warm enough to take Annaliese to the park and to let her play in the sand just outside the back door. They were happy with the continued unseasonably warm weather, but by the beginning of the second week, storms had set in, drenching the coast, making a mess of the beach and forcing the four of them to coexist within the four walls of the cottage.

The stress was beginning to show, primarily for Emily. She noticed that Gillian had a peculiar way of saying certain things. Most often they were backhanded compliments, designed to sound nice, but, in reality were anything but. "Oakley, you picked such an interesting woman to marry," she said one day. She followed it by asking Emily, "However did you convince my son to marry you?"

"She thinks I'm a gold digger," Emily had complained to Oakley later that day. 

He hadn't brushed it off so much as tried to diffuse the situation. "I'll have a talk with her," he'd nodded. He followed up on the promise, but nothing changed.

It was nearly worse for Annie. She had an inherent distrust for her grandmother and regarded her with a wary eye. Gillian had reprimanded her for playing with a dirty doll on the second day and had taken it away and had thrown it in with the rubbish, an act that caused Annie to scream so loudly that both Oakley and Emily had come running, fearing the worst. "She took Princess Teddy Bear!" Annie sobbed. She was inconsolable until Oakley fished her prized possession from the bin. 

"Mum," Oakley had said, exasperated, "Please let Emily and I deal with our daughter as we see fit." 

He had gone on to explain the significance of the doll, to which Gillian simply responded, "That child doesn't need to have something like that to remind her of such an awful event."

"Do you remember that Buster dog I had?" He'd asked her. When she nodded, he continued, "That dog reminded me of when I had a family and I slept with it every night, until Dad said the same thing you are now. He burned it in front of me."

"Don't you compare me to your father!" she yelled before stomping out of the room.

From that day, Annie refused to have anything to do with Gillian, and she became a perpetual thorn in her grandmother's side. Gillian accused both Oakley and Emily of spoiling the child and often made comments about how Emily only let Annie get away with what she wanted so the girl would love her.

"Fucking insurance company," Oakley grumbled the next morning while on the phone. "I've been on hold for ten fucking minutes while they've been trying to get their heads outta their arses."

Emily wrapped her arms around his chest and kissed his bare back. "Shhhh," she whispered, "You'll wake up your mum." She wasn't worried about waking up Annaliese. She had already heard the sweet sounds of Annie singing softly to her toys in her room.

Oakey leaned his head back against her. "I know," he groaned. "I'm impatient. I know she's my mother, I know I should love her, but I can't stand her."

"We'll get to leave soon enough," she reassured him.

He turned to her and smiled, raising his eyebrow. "I'd like to say sooner than later," he replied. "I have no idea how I've restrained myself from you this whole time." 

He was about to kiss her when someone came on the line. Emily tried to listen in as best as she could, but she only caught part of the conversation. Eventually she gave up and tried to gauge it from Oakley's expressions. 

"Thank god!" he finally exclaimed before hanging up the phone. "They've finally processed everything and we're clear to look for a new home."

Emily let out a shriek of glee before clamping her hands over her mouth. "When?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"I say we see if we can drop Annie off with your mum and we look today," he answered. The grin on his face said it all.

"It's a long drive," Emily sighed. "I think we'd need more than a few hours to find something."

Oakley scrunched his face in thought. "I suppose we could splurge for a hotel room, considering the insurance guy said they'd pay for one as long as we needed." 

Emily playfully swatted at his arm. "You ass," she scolded, "You could have just told me."

"Well, yeah," he laughed, "but this was more fun."

They got out of bed and got ready to leave as quietly as they could. Annie was already dressed, having been in the midst of putting on a fashion show with Princess Teddy Bear, so they only really needed to worry about themselves. Emily made sure their bags were packed while Oakley stepped out and made the call to Amanda. They were nearly done and out the door when Gillian emerged from her room.

"Oakley," she drawled, "Where are you going?" She stepped closer to him and her foot got caught in the silk robe she wore, causing her to crash into the side of the sofa. "You're not leaving already?"

"Jesus, Mum, you smell like you've just fallen off a truck full of whiskey," he replied, wrinkling his nose at her. "And, yes, we've just got notice that we can start looking for a new home."

Gillian righted herself and sat on the arm of the sofa. "I've had a bad night of it," she pouted. "I had it out with your step - father last night and made the decision to divorce him."

Oakley rolled his eyes. "You're not even going to go back to India to talk about it with him face to face?"

"There's nothing to talk about," she answered flatly.

Emily emerged from the hallway with Annie in tow. "We're ready," she trilled, the smile on her face melting as she came upon the stare off between Oakey and Gillian.

Gillian reached out to Annie, but the girl cowered behind Emily's leg. "You can't leave me," she groaned as she turned back to Oakley. "I'll be alone."

Oakley motioned for Emily to take Annie out the door, then bent down to pick up the rest of their bags. "You'll manage," he nodded as he kicked the door closed.


	29. Chapter 29

It was nearly dark by the time they got Annie settled with Amanda, had visited with her a while and updated her on how the babies were doing. She, of course, was ecstatic that they were there and offered to put them in her guest room, but Emily declined, saying, “We would love to, Mum, but Oakley and I haven't had a room t ourselves for a while.”

Amanda winked at her and nodded, “Yes, I understand, well, best be off with you, then.” She smiled as she all but pushed them out the front door.

Emily had no idea where they were going to stay, but she was relieved that, wherever it was, it would be alone. She climbed into the passenger seat of the car and worked to get the seat belt around her growing belly. “I hope I don't get so big I can't fit in the car,” she joked. 

Oakley reached over and patted her. “Don't worry,” he laughed, “If you do, I'll pad you up and roll you down the street.”

She shot him a look that said he'd gone too far. “Very funny,” she grumbled. “These are your babies, you know. You helped put them there.” 

Alarmed, he backpedaled. “I'm sorry, Darling, I was only joking.” His face was ashen when he turned to look at her. 

Emily shook her head. “I'm sorry, Love, it's these hormones.” With a deep sigh, she asked, “It's a bit late to go house hunting now. Where did you have in mind?”

“You'll see,” he answered, his eyes glittering with mischief. “Somewhere special.” He navigated the car down the darkening streets, saying nothing else until they stopped in front of the hotel they had stayed in the first night they were together.

Emily gently set her hand on his elbow. “Oakley, you didn't,” she exclaimed.

He nodded. “I even got the same room,” he grinned. “I thought it would be a nice surprise, Darling.”

She leaned into him and kissed his cheek. “It's a wonderful surprise!”

They hauled their bags out of the car and onto a trolley. Emily stood with the baggage while Oakley parked around the corner, wrapping her arms around him when he returned. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and a giggle. “What did I do to get that?” he joked.

She gazed up at him with stars in her eyes. “For being absolutely wonderful.” Another kiss. “And a fantastic husband.” A third kiss. “And a fabulous father.” 

Oakley puffed up his chest and grinned. “Well, then I really deserve this,” he drawled as he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, feeling her softness, tasting her sweetness. 

The hotel manager cleared his throat behind them. “Excuse me,” he simpered, “I'm so sorry to be interrupting you at this... uh... moment, but would you like me to have your things brought up to your room?”

With a sigh, Oakley pulled away from Emily, though only so much as he could speak, his eyes still fixed upon her. “Please,” he answered. “My wife and I will be in momentarily.” Once the manager had left them alone, he mused, “My wife... my darling wife... my beautiful wife...” with a smile. “I'm still not used to the fact that I am lucky enough to have you.”

Emily smiled and angled herself so she could lean against his chest. “Well, have me, you do,” she sighed. Grabbing his hand and placing it on her belly, she added, “And these babies, too.”

He leaned his chin on the crown of her head. “And I couldn't be happier.”

They sauntered into the lobby, arms still around each other and Oakley checked them in. Once he had the card key, he asked Emily, “Are you hungry, Darling?”

“Famished,” she replied. “These babies take a lot out of me. I'm eating for three now, you know.”

“I know just the place,” he nodded.

Oakley made Emily close her eyes the entire time they were walking, with a stern warning of, “No peeking.” Of course, she couldn't help but want to spy and each time, she did, she was caught, until Oakley's only recourse was to clamp his own hand over her eyes. He did so obligingly with a laughing, “I warned you.” 

It didn't seem like they were walking for a long time, in fact, they were having so much fun that it was only a few minutes before they stopped and he took his hand off her face. “Ta da!” he announced proudly. “You can open your eyes, now.”

Emily's eyelids fluttered and she took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light. They were standing in front of the pub where they'd first met. “Well, fancy you thinking of this, too,” she commented. “Are you sure they serve food?”

He chuckled. “Not only do they serve food, but they serve some of the best food.” Grasping the door handle, he began to pull it open. “Not only that, but I leased the entire pub for just the two of us.”

“Oakley,” Emily gasped, “Can we afford it?” Her practical side suddenly overtook her emotional side with a worried look.

As he hastened her inside, he nodded, “I can afford anything for you.” 

“Are you sure?” she scowled. “I know for certain we've had no sudden increase in income.”

“Ah, you've caught me, then,” he answered mischievously. “Actually, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine.” He pulled her to the bar and cleared his throat. The barkeep turned towards them with a gentle smile. “Emily, my love, meet William,” Oakley introduced. “William owns this pub and, when I told him our story,” he offered to let it to me, but just until nine.”

“What happens at nine?” she wondered.

William nodded his head. “That's when the night really begins,” he answered. “Pub's usually pretty dead except for the regulars until then. And you two, well, you're right special.” He held out his hand and Emily took it, allowing for him to softly kiss the back of hers.

Amused, Oakley pulled her away as she giggled. “Hey, now, that's my wife,” he chided.

“Why don't you two get settled in and I'll bring the menus 'round,” William instructed.

“Do you remember which table was ours?” Oakley asked with a twinkle in his eyes. “I know I do.” As Emily scrutinized the tables on the far wall, he added, “Of course, you were a bit drunk...”

She hit him on the arm with a playful smack. “I was not!” she protested. “At least not at first.”

He leaned down to her belly and said, “There will be none of that for Mummy tonight will there?” as he rubbed her.

Emily couldn't help but giggle. She remembered the broken man she had met, the broken woman she had been and was thrilled at how far they'd come. As Oakley stood back up, she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the exact table. “Here,” she announced. “But if we were really doing this correctly, you'd be sitting at that one nursing an awful pint and a cigarette and I'd be over here with my vodka tonic.”

“You do remember!” he grinned. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his hands rested on her bump. Leaning his chin on her shoulder, he whispered, “I love you, Babe.”

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “I love you, too.” Her stomach began to growl just as the babies decided to kick Oakley's hands away. “Now, I'm starved,” she chuckled. “These babies need to eat.”

They sat down side by side as William brought their menus. “What do you recommend?” Oakley asked him.

Opening the menu in front of them, William answered, “I recommend the kidney pie.” Upon seeing Emily's face turn sour, he continued, “Of course, you can never go wrong with the roast hen.” A quick glance and he saw her nod and smile, apparently more satisfied with that answer.

“We'll take the hen,” Oakley answered. “And a pint for me and a large still water for my wife.”

“It will be up momentarily,” William nodded as he took the menus away and headed towards the kitchen.

“William sure is an interesting fellow,” Emily commented as she watched him leave. “Have you known him long?”

Oakley sighed. “Darling,” he answered, “Before I met you I was very nearly a nightly patron to this fine establishment. I may as well have worked here. William, there, he helped me keep my wits about me. On my lowest days, he helped me out.”

“So, I owe him for you, don't I?” she smiled. “After all, had he not taken care of you, we'd have never met.”

Letting out a chuckle, Oakley replied, “We may have met, but it would have been under some very different circumstances. I don't think you'd have liked me very well.”

“I'm not sure I liked you in the first place,” she teased, then leaning in close to him, hissed, “At least not until I saw that marvelous cock.”

Had he been drinking his pint, he would have spit it everywhere. “God, warn me before you say something like that,” he laughed. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her neck. “I am glad you liked it, though,” he growled in her ear.

By the time, William brought their drinks out, Oakley and Emily were acting like a pair of lusty teenagers, snickering to each other, trying to outdo each other with lewd comments whispered fiercely. He only rolled his eyes at them and went to retrieve their food. When he returned with their dinners, they could barely keep their hands off each other. “Please do keep to decorum,” he had warned as he shook his head.

“Oh, lighten up, Wills,” Oakley replied. “That's why we have the place to ourselves.”

William checked his watch. “Your time alone ends in approximately 30 minutes.” He left them alone, once again, to ready the rest of the pub for its delayed opening.

The smell of the food brought Emily back to Earth and, even as Oakley licked her neck suggestively, had more of an appetite for the roast hen and its accompanying side dishes than she did for him. Grabbing some utensils, she dug in, voraciously devouring what she could. “Oh, God, this is so good!” she moaned through a mouthful.

“Save some for me,” Oakley scolded playfully. When Emily shot him a dirty look, he laughed, “But you get first dibs.”

Between the two of them, they finished the entire meal, right down to the parsley garnish on the potatoes, which Emily insisted on eating on account of onion breath. They leaned back against their seats, satisfied. “That was nearly better than sex,” Emily sighed.

“Nahhh,” Oakley winked. “I'm gonna have to veto that one.” He grinned at her. “I'll prove otherwise to you.”

“Oh, you will, will you?” she dared. 

He nodded. “Oh, yeah.” He stood up from the table. “Wait right here,” he said as he sprinted to the bar to pay for their dinner. When he returned, he helped Emily stand up. “Car's in the front,” he said as they walked to the door.

They made it to the hotel in record time, barely bothering to acknowledge the staff as they rushed through the lobby to the elevator. “You're not to drunk to take advantage of tonight,” Oakley growled in her ear as they waited for their floor. It made Emily shiver.

Within moments of closing the door to their room, they were upon each other, kissing and kneading, pinching and caressing. Emily reached behind and untied her dress, pulling it over her head and revealing the lacy undergarments she wore, Oakley's favorites on her, as he undressed himself. He glanced up at her as he untangled his feet from his jeans and groaned with pleasure at the sight of her. “God, you're gorgeous,” he said as he grasped the straps of her bra and twisted them around his fingers. “I think the sight of you pregnant is more of a turn-on than ever.” 

Emily reached behind and unfastened it, letting the bra slide off her arms as Oakley pulled it. “Is that so?” she purred. “Maybe we need to have more babies after this then... “ She snuck under his arm and walked seductively towards the bed. She gave him a wink when she saw him bite his lip. “You want some of this, sailor?”

He had been frozen to his spot for a moment, titillated and unable to take his eyes off her. As he watched her get up on the bed, he was able to move, speeding across the room and giving a feral growl as he grabbed her panties and ripped them off her. She leaned back against the mattress, letting him explore her roughly, his fingers prodding against her legs opening them to him. He leaned down between her thighs letting the scruff of his beard rub against them as he plunged his tongue straight to her depths, then trailed it upwards to the tone of her sigh. “Oh, God....” she moaned as he ignored all decorum, letting his tongue continue on its path up her mound, over her belly between her breasts as his fingers fluttered across her skin and began to roll her nipples, hardening them further than they had been on their own. 

“I don't want to squish you,” he whispered as he hovered over her. He climbed over her leg and rolled to his back, pulling her with him, covering himself with her. 

Smiling, Emily replied, “That will work.” She pressed her body against him and straddled him, coming down on top of his manhood, feeling it fill her completely as she let out a long, breathy moan. “I almost forgot how good it feels to have you inside me.” She began rocking against him while his hands migrated over her body, fingers grazing just barely over her flesh, creating ripples of goosebumps that made her shiver. She watched him as he watched her, drawing as much pleasure from seeing his blue eyes roll back into his head as he concentrated on how she felt sheathing him as she did from the act itself. His hands slid down to her hips, grasping them, controlling her movement as he thrust into her. 

Her breathing became more ragged with each movement as she felt the delicious tension grow inside her. She felt one of his hands slid around to her front, his thumb delving into the space between them, and pressing against her clit, swirling around it, inciting it. The heat that came from her nether regions shot into her core and emanated to her extremities until she was entirely consumed, the knot unravelling with her release. “Oakley!” she keened.

He felt her walls begin to close around him, pulsing with her orgasm, and he felt the need to push through it, make her release his own. He grasped her hip again, bringing her down hard onto him, burying himself in her completely yet feeling the need to bury himself even further until, at last, he reached his own apex, releasing himself inside her with a final, quivering thrust and a feral grunt.

Emily sat atop him for a while, watching him as he laid there, eyes closed, a look of complete satisfaction on his face. When she felt the rise and fall of his chest become low and sonorous, she slid to the bed beside him, grabbed a blanket from the end of it and covered the two of them up. “I love you, Oakley,” she whispered as she rested her head on his chest.

“Yeah, love you,” he snorted as he drifted back to sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

They awakened the next morning, limbs intertwined, bodies full of renewed vigor. While they considered spending the entire day in bed, wrapped up in bed, they knew there was more that needed their attention. Oakley was out of bed first, drawn by the immediate need to relieve himself, followed soon after by Emily. “Shower?” she said as she snuck into the bathroom behind him. 

“Yeah,” he replied drowsily, his mind still racing to catch up with his body. He reached in and turned the water in the shower on, letting it warm up before stepping in and closing the curtain, allowing Emily at least a small bit of privacy.

Emily climbed in within a few seconds, watching as he ducked to fit his tall frame under the shower head, “Those were clearly built by short people,” she commented as he groaned, his curls cascading over his bare chest.

Oakley chuckled. “Clearly,” he agreed with a grin as he shook his hair, spraying water everywhere, including all over Emily. He wrapped his arms around her and slowly spun her around. “Your turn,” he said as he backed her into the spray. As he let go of her, he stood back and gazed at her. “God, you're gorgeous,” he gushed.

“Not first thing in the morning,” she groused. “My hair's a wreck, I have indentations from the sheets...”

He put his hand gently over her mouth mid-sentence. “Especially in the morning,” he smiled. “And especially soaking wet.” He reached out and cupped her breasts. “When the cold morning air makes your beautiful breasts perk up even more.” He kissed her and slid his hands down her sides and around her backside. “And with that luscious ass.”

“MMMMMmmmmm,” she purred, leaning her head into the shower. “Oakley.” She moaned his name, ready to let him take her in the shower, until her sex-hazed mind cleared for just a moment and her head snapped back forward. “Oakley,” she said more pointedly, “What time is our first viewing?”

“Ten,” he answered, his voice muffled by the skin of her neck as he licked and kissed her.

“What time is it now?” 

He shook his head. “I don't know.”

“My cell's on the counter, check please?” She gave him an expectant grin.

With a groan, Oakley tore himself away from her and stepped halfway out of the shower to reach her phone and flip the screen on. “Oh, shit,” he exclaimed. “It's nine.” He got back into the shower. “I guess we better resume this tonight?”

Emily nodded, the shampoo in her hair running down the sides of her face, her hands already smoothing soap over the rest of her body. “Yeah.” She ducked under the spray. “Let me rinse and then you can have the shower, okay?”

“Alright,” he answered, grabbing the bottle of shampoo and lathering his own head with a dollop. They traded places once again. He was actually thankful that she'd left the shower to him, given his predicament with the shower head. By the time he'd gotten out, she was dressed and in the bathroom brushing her hair. He grabbed a towel and squeezed as much water out of his hair as he could with it before drying the rest of himself off and kissing the side of her head. “What do you want for breakfast?” he asked as he left the room. “I'll have room service bring it up while I finish getting ready.”

She shot him a troubled smile. “I don't know that we have time,” she answered. “I was thinking we could grab some tea and scones from that little shop on the corner and eat in the car.”

Oakley shrugged. “Okay,” he replied. “If that's what you want.” He left the bathroom before he could hear her response. As he rummaged through his bags, he decided on a plain white t-shirt and jeans, with a green button-up shirt over it, casual but nice, something he would be comfortable in but still look like he was serious about buying a house. As Emily emerged from the bathroom, he held his arms out and asked. “How's this?”

“You look like you're going to watch the game,” she scoffed. She felt more dressed up than he, in her skirt and blouse. “Please, at least button up your shirt while we meet with the agent.” She couldn't help but smile inwardly at the petulant boy face he made as he worked the buttons into their holes and grumbled. Sauntering over to him, she threw her arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder. “I love you,” she said, her voice muffled. 

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “You, too,” he answered. “Let's go buy a house.”

They left the hotel room and managed to get their breakfast and to the estate agent's office in record time, arriving mere seconds before their appointment. Oakley waved at the agent through the window as he helped Emily from the car. As they entered the office, he smiled and introduced, “Hello, I'm Oakley and this is my wife, Emily. We spoke on the phone yesterday?”  
The woman looked over the top of her glasses and down her nose at him, a scowl passing over as she attempted to remember exactly what had been said. Finally, she smiled. “Oh, yes!” she exclaimed. “Do come in!” She ushered them further into her office and directed them to sit in the chairs that were on one side of a large desk. She took the office chair on the side opposite of them. “Thank you so much for coming in,” she said as she worked to clear some of the papers and clutter that was strewn about. Turning a large monitor towards them, she pulled out a mouse and began clicking it until a menu appeared on the screen. “What we have here,” she explained, “Is a virtual tour. I will be taking you through several houses and, once you've selected the ones you would like to see in person, we can schedule a visit to them tomorrow.”

“How long is this going to take?” Emily asked, already feeling a bit uncomfortable in the chair. She shifted her weight and the chair creaked.

“Oh, not long at all,” the agent replied as she started up the program. Unfortunately, her “Not long at all,” was not entirely truthful. Four hours and several cups of tea later, Oakley and Emily had still not found any places they'd wanted to see in person. There were several they had said “Maybe” to, but most of the abodes were too small for their liking. “I'm starting to think we're going to find nothing,” Oakley complained under his breath when Emily rejected yet another house.

Finally, one flashed on the screen that got Emily's attention. “What about that one?” she asked as it flashed by on the menu.

“Which one?” the agent asked, obviously annoyed at the lack of decision.

“Go back two,” Emily directed. “The blue one.”

The agent flipped back and enlarged the house that Emily had picked out. It resembled a cottage, but stories had been added. “I don't know that you want this one,” the agent warned, “It's been on the market for quite some time and it needs some attention.”

“What kind of attention?” Oakley asked suspiciously. He shot a glance at Emily to see if she'd heed the warning. “Is it extensive?”

She shook her head. “No, mostly cosmetic. It needs a lot of paint, new flooring.”

“We can do that, can't we?” Emily sounded like she was about to bubble over. She read the description on the screen out loud. “Look, it's got five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a huge yard!”

“Let me show you the inside, then,” the agent sighed. She clicked on an icon and the screen flipped to a video tour. She navigated them through the foyer into a wide sweeping living room, open to a dining room and a kitchen with French doors opening up to a stone deck and back yard, then around to one medium-sized bedroom and a small bathroom. “And now, the upstairs.” She guided it up a staircase and showed them two tiny bedrooms, one medium-sized room and a huge master bedroom with its own private bathroom. The third bathroom was sandwiched between the two smallest rooms. “As you can see, the paint is needing quite a bit of attention.”

“Oh, Oakley, it's beautiful!” Emily exclaimed. “Can we see it today?”

The agent grunted, clearing her throat. “I suppose it can be arranged. The house isn't far from here.”

“Whatever you would like, Babe,” Oakley nodded. Inside, he was ecstatic they'd found anything to get them out of the office and a few minutes respite from listening to the pedantic estate agent. He was all too happy to be helping Emily into the car and following the agent's white Mini down the road. 

They navigated through some familiar neighborhoods and as they went, Oakley realized they were only blocks from John and Ellie. When the agent parked along the street, they stopped behind her. There stood the house, front stoop right next to the sidewalk. It was neatly swept and the flower boxes under the windowsill was trimmed and blooming. “It's beautiful!” Emily shrieked as she ambled up the steps after the agent.

Inside, they saw that the monitor really hadn't shown the extent of the need for paint. Oakley pursed his lips, not wanting to say anything for fear of upsetting her, but he had reservations. The paint was peeling, the floors were stained and the hardwood was buckling in places. “It's going to take a lot of hard work,” he groused. “I don't know...”

Emily gave him a pout. “I'm sure we can handle it,” she sighed. “Maybe we could have a painting party.”

“We'll see,” he replied. He wasn't against the house, just the work it would involve, but the further along they got exploring it, the more he heard Emily making plans. Finally, exasperated, he threw his hands up and huffed, “Fine! We'll take this one.”

The estate agent was taken aback. “But you've only looked at the one house,” she scowled. 

He shook his head. “If we don't buy this one, I'll be paying for it.”

Emily's face filled with joy as she threw her arms around him. “We're home!” she grinned.


	31. Chapter 31

The paperwork for the new house was finalized by the end of the week and Oakley and Emily decided to take the weekend fixing it up and moving in. A flooring company provided by the previous owner replaced the floors with gleaming new hard wood in a dark oak, so they only needed to worry about paint. On Friday, they had driven to Amanda's to collect Annaliese, stopping by the garage and inviting Oakley's co-workers to come help paint, which they were more than happy to do. 

In the car on the way to the paint store, Annaliese told them all about her week at Gran's, which had included a trip to the zoo as well as a night of sweets for dinner. "And Gran even told me that when the babies come, I get to spend two weeks at her house!" she chattered in the backseat.

"You do, Princess," Oakley affirmed as he drove. He was ecstatic that Annie was with them again, having missed her youthful enthusiasm. After two days, he and Emily found they related everything to how Annie would take it. 

When they arrived at the paint store, Annaliese climbed into the trolley and announced she wanted her room cotton candy pink, like a princess would have it. "Of course!" Emily smiled. "What colors for the babies?"

"Blue and purple," Annie answered. She had maintained that she would have only sisters that the blue came as a surprise to Oakley, who shot a look at Emily as she shrugged. When asked why she said blue, Annaliese cheerfully responded, "Well, girls can like blue!" like it was the most obvious answer.

"Touche," Oakley laughed.

Annie looked confused. "What does 'touche' mean?"

"It means you have a point, Sweetheart," Emily answered. "Your Daddy was talking about swords. When someone would get the pointy end of their opponent's sword, they'd say 'touche.'"

"You're such a wonderful Mum," Oakley gushed as he beamed at her, kissing her temple gently, then softly pressing his hand on her belly. "I can't wait until our babies are here."

Emily sighed, a tear of happiness in the corner of her eye, when Annie crossed her little arms, scrunched her face into a scowl and groaned, "Will they just get here already?" It prompted both her parents to start laughing.

Between laughs, Emily managed to respond, "Sweetie, they'll be here in a few more months."

Their next stop after purchasing the paint and loading into the car was to buy furniture at the same store Oakley had ordered from for their old flat. As they walked into the showroom, Annie spied the twin of her old bed and ran towards it yelling, "My bed!" 

Oakley smiled sadly at Emily. "I guess we know which one she's getting." Emily only nodded and smirked, her heart suddenly heavy with memories. He knew what she was feeling because his heart was the same. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "This is a fresh start for all three of us," he sighed. "Pick out whatever you would like. Nothing has to be the same as what we had before."

Emily nodded. "I know," she replied softly, her voice strained and on the verge of tears, "I just can't help thinking of how I nearly lost both of you." 

He turned her so she was facing him. "But you didn't," he said, his eyes gazing directly into hers. "Annie and I are both here and in one piece and," he grinned, "I'm afraid you're stuck with us."

She smiled at him, letting a single tear drop from her eye. "I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I know we should be happy, picking out all this stuff for our first house together, but... I think it's just these pregnancy hormones."

Feeling a little tug at the hem of her shirt, she looked down. "Mummy," Annie said, "I need to tinkle." It made Emily smile and the sadness she had felt a moment before dissolved in Annie's innocent eyes. "Please?"

"Excuse us," Emily told Oakley, "The girls need to visit the loo."

Oakley smiled at the two of them and said, "Hurry back!" He perused the floor while they were gone, mentally listing the items he liked in anticipation of showing Emily and getting her input. He'd managed to pick a nice dining room set, a comfortable sofa with matching pair of armchairs and a hutch for the china he'd intended to surprise her with when his bliss was broken by the sound of Annie screaming, "Mummmyyyyyyy!!!!!" His ears perked and his eyes shot to the direction of her voice. She was standing next to the restroom door, her little face red from crying. 

He bolted to her side as several other people did as well. "What's wrong?" he asked as he embraced her shaking form. "Where's Mummy, Annie?"

"In there," she sniffled, pointing inside the swinging door. 

A woman who had rushed to Annie volunteered, "I'll go see what's wrong. You comfort your little one." Oakley nodded numbly as he watched her go inside the Ladies' Room. He heard her exclaim, "Oh no!" and he stood up, pulling Annie up with him, barging into the door. Emily was splayed out on the floor, her head awkwardly up against the wall. He knelt down next to her and set Annie down, feeling the little girl cling to him even as he wrapped himself around Emily's still form. 

"What happened?" he sobbed as he pulled her into his chest.

The woman who had helped him peeked in and said, "Aid has been called."

Another woman, who had been on the peripherals of the group when Oakley had gotten to Annie opened the door after the other Samaritan had left. "I was in here when she fell," she said. "Your wife said she didn't feel so well and then she just... passed out." Oakley nodded, but he wasn't sure he heard anything she had said.

He heard Emily groan and his attention was on her. "Em, Darling, are you alright?" he whispered.

"Oakley," she said weakly. "I don't feel well. Something's wrong."

"Aid's on its way," he comforted. He pulled Annie into his arms as well, allowing her crying form to curl into Emily's. 

They sat that way until the medics arrived and pulled them apart. Oakley was reticent about leaving her side, but when they explained they needed to have as much room as they could to check her vital signs before taking Emily to the hospital, he picked up Annie and moved, leaning his back against the wall and watching, holding his breath. "Everything seems to be alright," one of the medics said as they brought in the stretcher. "But I'm worried about her baby."

"Babies," Oakley corrected. "We're having twins."

"Alright," she nodded. "We need to take her in right away." Another medic hoisted Emily onto the stretcher and maneuvered it through the door as Oakley and Annie followed behind. Emily was put into the ambulance and Oakley climbed in with Annie. "I'm sorry, you can't ride with her," the paramedic told him.

"The hell I can't," Oakley growled. "This is my wife and these are my babies. If anything happens, I need to be with her." As quickly as his anger flashed, it was gone, replaced by tears. "Please?"

The medic's partner got in. "Let them stay," he said curtly, then turned to Oakley and Annie. "Just as long as you protect that little one. I don't want to have her scarred by seeing something awful happen with her mum." Oakley nodded somberly.

The ride to the hospital took minutes that seemed like hours, the whole time, Oakley held Emily's hand, speaking words of gentle encouragement to her while Annie clung to him and cried softly against his shoulder. "Oakley," Emily said weakly, "I'm sure everything will be fine." She smiled, but it was tiny and her eyes were full of worry. With her other hand, she cradled her belly and smoothed her palm over it. "Still moving."

When they reached the emergency room, she was whisked away and Oakley was not allowed by anyone to follow, despite his protests. He settled miserably into a chair in the waiting room, flashbacks of their first time there flooding his mind. Only, this time, they'd come full circle and the little girl whose photo was in his wallet was now playing with a new found friend in the toy corner of the waiting room. He was glad she was handling everything so well, but he wasn't so sure about himself. There was a nagging worry in the pit of his stomach and it hurt like hell. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he covered his face with his hands and tried to breathe and make the pain subside. It worked for a moment, then came coursing back with a vengeance. There was a little hand laid on his leg, warm, tiny, and Annie's soft, sweet voice. "Are you crying, Daddy?" she asked.

"Yes, Princess," he answered, lifting his head and looking at her innocent eyes. "I am."

"Mummy will be okay," she assured, patting him. "So will the babies."

"Thank you, Annie," Oakley smiled sadly as he lifted her up on his lap and snuggled her. "I hope so."

Annaliese let him hold her for a while, then squirmed to get away. "Want to see what I made?" she asked proudly, holding something made out of yarn and felt from the craft box. "It's a baby for Princess Teddy Bear!"

Oakley held out his hand and she placed it in his palm so he could see the face drawn on in sharpie. "This is a very nice baby," he admired. "I bet Princess Teddy Bear will be excited to have it." He handed it back to her. "What's the baby's name?"

She slid down his leg and stood between his knees. "This is Princess Teddy Bear Junior," she answered before giving him a heart-melting grin and skipping away back to the corner. He couldn't help but smile at her youthful enthusiasm. She was his one bright spot in an otherwise frightening day.

"What a beautiful child!" he heard a woman sitting behind him exclaim. "What's her name?"

He turned around. "Thank you," he replied. "Her name's Annaliese."

"That's a wonderful name," she nodded. "Who are you waiting for?"

Oakley sighed. "My wife collapsed," he answered, his voice beginning to break. "She's pregnant with twins and..." the tears began streaming down his face, "I couldn't bear if anything happens to her." He leaned his face back down on his elbow and let the sobs rip through him.

The woman switched seats, taking the one next to him and laid her hand on his back. "I can tell you are a wonderful husband and father," she said quietly. "I was in the same situation some years ago with my eldest and everything turned out fine." 

He lifted his head. "Yeah?"

As he turned around in his seat to look at her once again, she smiled, "I'm waiting for word that my first grandchild has arrived. I'd say it was alright."

"Congratulations," he replied as her attention was pulled away by the nurse at the desk.

"Mrs. Crabtree, you may go up to the maternity ward to see your daughter, now," the nurse said.

The woman patted her hand on his back. "It will be alright," she repeated as she stood and walked towards the bank of elevators.

"Wait," Oakley called. "What's your name?" 

"Eva!" she answered just as the elevator doors closed.

She didn't know it, but she had given him a hope that warmed him and replaced the doubt he'd been feeling. He sighed and turned his attention back to watching Annie playing happily with the other children that had joined her. Closing his eyes for a moment, he prayed to whatever deity would listen, silently, that Emily would be okay, that the babies would be healthy, that they could live their lives as the happy family he dreamed they would be.

Oakley must have drowsed off, because he was startled awake by Annie tugging on his hand. "Daddy, wake up, I'm hungry," she said.

He blinked and sat up straight, realizing that his back hurt from slouching in such an uncomfortable chair. "Well," he answered groggily, "Let me check up on your mum and maybe we'll be able to get a bite." He stood up, stretched, and took her hand, leading her to the reception desk. When the nurse looked up at him, he smiled cordially. "Has there been any update on my wife? Emily?"

She glanced down at the monitor in front of her and clicked her mouse a couple of times. "She's out of emergency," she said. "Let me page her doctor so he can come talk to you."

Oakley milled around the reception desk while he waited, picking up Annie and swinging her around to entertain her, his own spirits buoyed by her lighthearted giggles. When the doctor finally emerged and addressed him, he set her down. "How is she?" he asked.

The doctor stood with his hands on his hips. "Emily is going to be just fine," he answered. "She's exhausted. I suppose you've had a lot of excitement recently?"

Nodding, Oakley replied, "We just bought a new house and we were planning on painting and moving in this weekend." He took a deep breath. "How are the babies?"

"Well," the doctor hesitated a moment, "They're out of the woods for now, but I will need Emily to be on bed rest until they're ready to come out."

Oakley let his breath out in one big puff. "Oh, thank god!" he said as he leaned down and rested his hands on his knees. "Can we go see her?"

Nodding, the doctor answered, "She's up on the third floor, now. Room 325."

When the doctor didn't say anything else, Oakley picked Annie back up and sped towards the elevator, thankful when the doors closed that it was one that didn't take its sweet time going from floor to floor. Once they reached the third floor, he checked in with the nurse on staff for the direction of Room 325, then walked quickly to her room. The door was cracked open and he peeked his head in. "Em?"

"Darling," she replied tiredly but happily.

Oakley set Annie down and she barged through the door, running over to Emily's side. She grabbed her hand and nuzzled against it. "Mummy!" she exclaimed. "You're okay!"

"I am, Sweetheart," Emily smiled.

He approached and leaned over her, kissing her forehead. "The doctor says you're alright," he sighed. "But you're to be on bed rest and we have no bed."

She let a small laugh escape. "I trust you," she replied. "You chose well, last time." 

"Well," he pursed his lips, "When you come home, you'll have a fully decorated, fully furnished house."

"Again," she teased. She was grinning at him and her jovial self, but Oakley couldn't help but notice how delicate she seemed to him now, like she were made of fine china and that, if he were to touch her in the wrong way, she would break into a million pieces. Her expression softened as he smiled back at her, noticing his eyes still reflecting some concern. "Would you like to know what we're having?" she asked. "They did another ultrasound to make sure they were okay."

"I do, I do!" Annie bubbled, jumping up and down boisterously. "Two princesses, right?"

Oakley nodded. "Is she right?"

Emily reached out and grasped his hand, squeezing it as though the action would allow her to pull the words out. "We'll have one of each," she finally answered. "A little boy and a little girl."

His face lit up. "Oh, Darling!" he said, all the doubt, all the concern melting, replaced by absolute love. He leaned down to kiss her.

"But, I don't want a boy," Annie complained loudly, making both her parents laugh, mid-kiss.


	32. Chapter 32

Emily arrived home to hustle and bustle. From the moment Oakley helped her up the front steps, she was greeted with well-wishes from the friends and family that gathered there to welcome her home. "I hope you don't mind the impromptu party," Oakley smiled as they entered.

"Not at all," she replied, "As long as you don't expect me to do any hostessing." She let him guide her to their brand new sofa and laid down on it, reclining against the arm. "I hope no one wants to sit on here," she joked. 

People swirled around her, all with well-wishes. She closed her eyes after a while, wanting to relax, letting the din wash over her. "Mummy!" she heard Annie's telltale five-year-old shriek right before she was tackled. 

"Hello, Sweetheart," she grinned as she opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around the little girl. "How do you like your new room?"

Annie nuzzled her for a moment, then squirmed to get out of her embrace. "I love it!" she squealed. "Daddy made it a princess room and he made the babies' rooms nice, too."

"I can't wait to see them," she replied. "Were you a good helper?"

Amanda emerged from the crowd. "She was an angel," she said. "Annie, why don't you go grab your mum a glass of punch." 

"Okay!" Annie said enthusiastically, disappearing through the crowd.

"Thank you, Mum," Emily said as Amanda perched on the bit of sofa that was left. "For watching Annie, for everything."

"Well," Amanda smiled, "I've got to take care of my grandbabies." She reached out and smoothed her hand over Emily's belly, then leaned in close. "And I can't wait to meet you two!" Sitting back up and turning her attention back to Emily, she added, "I just wish I could stay until you're back on your feet."

"You've got work," Emily answered. "Besides, I'm not entirely bed-ridden. The doctor says I can walk for short periods of time and Ellie said she'd stop by from time to time." She placed her hand on top of her mother's. "I'll be fine."

The party lasted as long as the refreshments did, the crowd dissipating with well-wishes as the red liquid in the punch bowl seemed to evaporate until, at last, only Emily, Oakley, Annie and Amanda remained. The four of them were exhausted, but none more than Annie. She climbed up on the sofa as the last friend left, laid her head down on Emily's belly and promptly fell asleep, one hand patting Emily, the other under her head, fingers curling in her hair. Amanda had gone to help Oakley clean up while Emily relaxed, the presence of sleeping Annie making her that much more drowsy. 

With the crowd, Emily hadn't gotten a good look at how the house came together. They had chosen a light cream-colored paint for the main walls, which gave it a warm, buttery glow with the light from the lamps reflecting off it. Oakley had chosen the sofa and matching armchairs in a darker oatmeal color, expertly matching throw pillows and accents with her favorite color, a sage green. A big-screen television sat atop an oak stand at the other end of the living room and next to that, an oak bookshelf that held a few books, some small framed photos and a statue of an elephant with its trunk up. She smiled when she saw that. Elephants were her favorite, she had told Oakley, because they mated for life and they were always a family. Now, more than any other time in her life, she understood it.

She could see the dining room from her seat and smiled at the more modern table and chairs inside. Their previous dining set had been on the traditional side and Emily felt it never properly fit with their lifestyle. This new one was all clean lines and lacquered surface. 

"Well, I think I will leave you alone top enjoy your new home," Amanda announced as she came out of the kitchen, drying he hands off with a dish towel. She stopped by the sofa and gave Emily a kiss on the forehead. "You take care of you, Sweetheart," she said. "And take care of those babies. All three of them."

"I will," Emily answered. "Thanks, again, Mum."

Oakley emerged from the kitchen and grinned when he saw how Annie had curled up. "I think she's happy to have you home," he said as he knelt down next to them and kissed Annie's curly head. "Let me take her upstairs and tuck her in, then I'll show you what we've done with the place." He kissed Emily softly as he gently curved his hands under Annie's sleeping form and picked her up, draping her over his shoulder. With a chuckle, he walked away, glancing over his shoulder at Emily as she gave him a thumbs up. 

When Oakley came back down, Emily was sitting more upright. "I'm ready," she smiled as he approached her. 

"I am so happy you're home," he replied as he helped her stand up, then looped his arm around her. "And now, the grand tour."

He took her first through the dining room, where she could see that he had also purchased a matching hutch and stocked it with the china she's pointed out she liked. "Oh, Oakley!" she gushed as she admired the white porcelain decorated with delicate gold edging.

"Surprise!" he exclaimed. He was sure he should have sounded more excited, but he was too rapt in her being home, watching her intently and feeling nothing but gratitude that he was allowed to hold her in his arms. "I knew you'd love it."

She beamed, kissing him on the cheek. "I do," she responded, "But not as much as I love you." 

"Well, if that's the kind of response I get from showing you a few dishes, I can't wait to show you the rest of the house," he joked.

She smacked him on the ass. "Cheeky."

They continued on to the kitchen, its bright white subway tiled walls offset by the black slate counter tops and turquoise canisters that sat on them. It was a small room, but they'd done what they could to make it seem bigger than it was, which included the installation of a window over the sink and another at the end of the room, facing the back yard. The downstairs toilet, located just near the front entrance shared its design with the kitchen.

The sweeping staircase Emily had admired had been refinished and polished to a honey-gold. "We put carpeting on them so it would be softer," Oakley explained as she admired it. "I figured, once we have three little ones running up and down these, we could stand to have that muffled."

"Good thinking," she smiled. 

The downstairs bedroom, located on the other side of the stairs, was turned into an office, equipped with a roll-top desk, a matching file cabinet, and a futon with a side-table on either side. "The closet is open," he said as he opened it. "So, we could use this as a guest-room if we need."

Once upstairs, Oakley opened the first door, just a crack. Emily could see Annie's sleeping outline from the light that seeped in. Beyond that, she could barely make out the bed, a spitting image of the one Annie had lost, a dollhouse and a dresser, all of it bathed in a pink candy glow. "Well, she had to have it pink," Emily commented.

"That's Princess Annaliese," Oakley replied. "Pink everything."

The room next to Annie's was painted a soft plum, not quite purple, not quite not and it was outfitted with nothing but a couple of shelves filled with stuffed animals and a toy box in the corner. "Toy room?" Emily asked.

Oakley nodded. "I figured we'd want them in the same room until they got older."

The bathroom in between was obviously meant for the littles, as Oakley had taken to calling them. It was decorated in primary colors, matching the bright blue and yellow walls that Annie had insisted upon, as well as the artwork of Warhol-esque rubber duckies that hung over the towel bar.

The room on the other side of the bathroom was only slightly larger than its counterpart and was painted a soft blue gray, the color of the ocean after a storm. Two cribs sat end to end against one wall, one with matching blue linens, the other with a soft violet color. Each had a small shelf hung over it, empty for now. "I wanted to get some blocks or something like that to put their names up over," Oakley said. On the wall opposite the cribs was a low bureau with a changing pad. Beside it was a taller shelf, it's individual shelves filled with baskets of baby essentials.

On the opposite side of the hallway was Oakley and Emily's room. He swung open the double doors and revealed a huge bed covered in a plush, velvety blanket the color of midnight. Pillows with matching cases were stacked together on it and on either side of the bed was a nightstand equipped with a small lamp. Across from the bed was a bureau upon which a television stood. It was smaller than the one downstairs, but not much. Next to the bureau was the door to the master bathroom. Emily opened it and looked inside, seeing that the wasted space around the doorway had been converted to a walk-through closet, each piece of her clothing organized on one side, his on the other. The bathroom was still huge with its separate shower and tub, and double sink. The seafoam blue paint Emily chose accented with seashells and nautical items. "I absolutely love it," Emily sighed as she laid down on the bed. 

Oakley laid down next to her, propping himself up on an elbow. He gazed at her, watching as she glanced out the white-lace covered French doors that led out to a private balcony. "I'm glad you love it," he smiled as he gently palmed her belly. "The littles will love it, too." 

Emily clasped her hand over his and squeezed softly. She closed her eyes and snuggled into his shoulder with a happy hum.


	33. Chapter 33

Emily's term of self-sufficient bed rest lasted a whole week before she was begging for help. "Annie is an angel," she said one night while she and Oakley were getting ready for bed, "But I can't keep up with her requests to play. In reality, the routine they'd established of moving downstairs and Emily lying on the sofa after breakfast, watching television, reading, and occasionally playing dolls with her daughter was taking its toll on her. "It's not like I can take her to play groups," she complained.

"What about your mother?" Oakley asked, avoiding the obvious, that, perhaps they could ask Ellie to come by more than once a week. "Would she be able to stay until after the babies are born?"

She shook her head. "Mum's got meetings," she replied. "And I've already asked Ellie, who said she would love to, but they're doing a little remodel at the moment and she needs to be there to oversee it.

"Guess we inspired them, some," he chuckled. Oakley climbed under the covers and sidled over to Emily, making sure to rub her belly. "The only other person I can think of," he sighed, "Would be my mum."

Though Emily visibly cringed at the thought of being trapped in the house with his mother with weeks on end and no means of escape, she realized it was really their only option. "I can stand her if you can," she said in surrender. "I just hope she doesn't take out all of her hostilities on Annaliese."

"I won't let her," he answered, then groaned, "I guess I'll call her in the morning." He paused a moment, thinking as he leaned over to turn out the light. "We'll have to put her somewhere other than the office. She'd rather lie on the floor so much as sleep on a futon."

"Well, that may be what she has to do, then." Emily giggled at the thought of her mother-in-law on the floor all snuggled up in a blanket.

Oakley scowled, his expression only visible by the pale moonlight that spilled through the window. "Hey, now," he reprimanded. "We may not particularly like my mother, but, if she does come here, it's as a favor and we should do everything we can to make her feel welcome." He slid his closet arm to her under her shoulders.

"You're right," Emily sighed as she cuddled up to his shoulder. "And I'll definitely need her help when we have all three littles to contend with."

He squeezed her as best he could, pulling her the millimeters closer that were left between them, his furthest hand still spread across the rise of her womb. One of the babies kicked with enough force to make his hand slide down. He could feel the other wiggle and curl up against his palm, a tiny backside in just the right spot. "We have a little footballer in there," he commented. "Did the doctor say anything about their positioning?" His last question had been meant more as a means to show off how much he'd learned reading expectant father books during his lunch at the shop. which, of course, was a source of endless amusement and chiding on the part of his fellow mechanics.

She reached and patted his hand absently. "She says they'll turn when they're ready," she answered. "We've got a ways to go, still."

Oakley let out a happy hum as he pulled his arm out from under Emily and braced himself up, leaning as close to her belly as he could. "Goodnight, littles," he said. When he laid back down, he asked, "And the doctor said no sex until after they're born?" He slid he hand on her belly up to her breast and smoothed his fingers over her nipple.

Emily playfully batted his hand away with a moan. "I'm sorry, Love," she sighed as he rolled onto his back and groaned. "It's for the good of the babies. We wouldn't want them born too early, now, would we?"

"No," he groused, "But that doesn't mean I'm not happy about it."

She rolled to her side, her hand palming his chest, then sliding down, hovering at the line between his abdomen and his groin. "That doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves," she purred. 

He took a deep breath and grasped her hand, preventing it from moving any lower. "I know you'd never expect me to say this," he said, letting the air out of his lungs in a steady stream, "But I'd feel guilty if you brought me off without enjoyment of your own." Without giving her a choice, he kissed her sweetly on the cheek and rolled away from her.

"Oakley," she murmured in frustration against his shoulder, "It doesn't bother me at all." She wrapped her arm around him as best she could. "Really. We can have fun doing other things," she said seductively as she pulled him onto his back with little effort and began to stroke him. "Like for instance, I'm told I'm good with my mouth."

"That you are," Oakley moaned. He closed his eyes and felt her slide down his side, breasts and belly pressed against him. Her hand circled the base of his cock and he felt the soft, wet warmth of her lips close around his tip. Her nimble fingers drew circles along his shaft as she took a much of him into her mouth as she could, undulating her tongue against him. "Mmmmmm," he hummed. The harder he got in her mouth, the more she worked him, her fingers pumping where her mouth couldn't reach. He reached down and stroked her hair, tangling his fingers in it as he came closer to his peak. Emily hummed, her lips vibrating around him, bringing him to completion as he spilled his release down her throat with a heavy groan of pleasure. "Thank you, Darling, that was marvelous," he smiled as she pulled herself off him with a pop, rivulets of his seed spilling from the corners of her pursed lips as she swallowed what was left. 

"Glad to be of service," she giggled. She climbed back up the mattress and laid down next to him, kissing him passionately so he could taste himself on her.

Oakley rolled to his side. "Your turn," he grinned. He kissed her neck, his lips softly trailing down to her breasts. "This is alright, isn't it?"

"Yes," she sighed. Emily rolled onto her back and opened herself up to him. She let out tiny moans for each kiss, feeling his mouth as it worked her flesh until he was just below her burgeoning belly. Oakley touched her delicately, like she were a thin piece of glass that would break in his hand. Deftly, he traced her nether lips and it sent tingles up her spine. "That feels wonderful," she was able to say right before it was punctuated by a mewl as he licked her, pointing his tongue just into the opening of her slit, resting it right above the sensitive nerves before swirling it around her nub. His fingers slipped into her slickness, delving into her deeply, crooking and pressing into her most tender spot, tapping to the same rhythm as his tongue moved. 

Emily's hips rose against him as he worked her until she was writhing, her movements mirroring his until she was panting and keening. "Oh god, Oakley," she moaned as she finally found her own release, her juices coating his fingers and his mouth. She seized, her body rigid with ecstasy until she relaxed, shaking as he pulled himself from her. She relaxed as he kissed his way back up her body. "That was wonderful," she sighed. "Let's get some sleep, now."

The next morning, they were awakened by the patter of feet back and forth down the hallway and then the thump of Annie's small fists on their bedroom door. Groggy, Oakley pulled himself off the bed, using a throw blanket from the end to cover himself. He opened the door and looked down at his daughter as she stood smiling innocently up at him. "Good morning, Princess Annie," he grinned, picking the giggling little girl up and swinging her into the bedroom. "What do we owe the pleasure of this wake-up call to?"

Annaliese held up two hands full of sticky fingers as he set her down. "I made you breakfast," she announced, nearly shoving them in his face. They smelled like banana and strawberry jam.

"What did you make us, Sweetheart?" Emily asked as she pulled her robe around her and joined them.

"Come see," was Annie's only other answer as she sprinted back out the door and down the hallway.

Oakley and Emily followed, though much more slowly. When they finally made it to the dining room, they found that Annie had set the table with the plastic dishes they kept in her drawer, complete with flatware and cups, all in princess motifs and varying shades of pink. On the child-sized plates were peeled bananas rested on slices of bread slathered with too much jam. "Princess, it looks delicious!" Oakley exclaimed as he helped Emily sit down. "What's to drink?"

"Oh!" Annie looked alarmed for a moment and escaped into the kitchen. She returned with a jug of apple cider. "I can't pour it," she said as she set it on a chair next to Oakley.

"That's fine," he smiled. "I'll help you out." He picked up the jug and filled their three cups before sealing it back up and setting the bottle down in the center of the table.

They ate, Oakley and Emily in amused silence as Annie regaled them with tales of distant lands and princesses and pirates. When they were finished, Oakley helped her clear the table and wash what few dirty dishes there were in the sink, while Emily took up residence once again on the sofa. She could see the two of them, father and daughter, blowing soap bubbles at each other, laughing and having a fun and it made her smile. This was what domestic bliss looked like, she thought. She was almost afraid to ruin their dynamic with the addition of Oakley's mother, but she needed to do what needed to be done. 

Emily picked up Oakley's phone and flicked it on. She scrolled through the names in his contact list through all their friends. Under "Mum" he had Amanda's photo and phone number. She was even in the list of frequent callers. Further below, in the list of contacts he didn't call much, if at all, his mother was listed as simply "Gillian." There wasn't even a photo. When Emily brought up the contact information, she saw that Oakley hadn't even called her since they'd left the beach house. She was getting ready to dial when Oakley snuck up behind her. "I should be the one to call my Mum," he said somberly, holding his hand out over her shoulder.

It took Emily by surprised and she jumped, startled for a moment. "Oakley," she scowled, "You haven't even spoken to her for over a month." She handed him the phone. 

Oakley sat down on the sofa next to Emily and held the phone on his knee for a moment in contemplation before calling his mother. It rang twice before she answered. "Hello, Mum," he said when she answered. "I've got a question for you." He explained the recent events that occurred in their household since they'd left her. Emily could only hear his side of the conversation, Gillian's shrill voice coming over the earpiece like a droning mosquito. He finished with, "Thank you. I owe you," before hanging up. He set the phone down on the coffee table, leaned his elbows on his knees and rubbed his face with his hands. "She'll be here tomorrow," he said, his voice muffled. Resting his hands on his knees, he looked sidelong at Emily. "God, I hope we're not making a mistake," he groaned.

Emily smirked. "I'm not so keen on the idea, myself, but if it's what we have to do..." she reached over and patted the back of his hand. "We'll manage." She reassured him, but she still had a niggling doubt in the back of her mind. Luckily, though, their house was much larger than Gillian's beach house and they would all have their own spaces in which to escape. "So, are we getting a guest bedroom set up?" she asked.

He shook his head. "We should," he sighed. "She won't have that futon and before long, we'd most likely find ourselves there. I'll order one from Raymond's this morning for delivery Monday. She can handle a couple days on it."


	34. Chapter 34

The next morning came too quickly for Oakley and Emily, and it came in the form of an insistent ringing of the doorbell. "Oakley, it's your mum!" came Gillian's shrill cry from outside.

Oakley grumbled for a moment, his face buried in his pillow, and huffed, "I guess I'll let her in." 

Emily lifted her head as he sat up and swung his long legs over the edge of the bed. She smacked his butt and said, "Now, be nice. She's your mum and we need her here."

Without looking back at her, he replied, "It doesn't mean I need to like the idea." With a sigh, he stood up and stretched, his hands nearly reaching the ceiling. He walked to the arm chair in the corner of the room and grabbed the plush blue bathrobe that had been swung lazily over the arm. As he wrapped the robe around himself, he grinned at Emily. "I just hope to God you two don't kill each other." He managed to escape through the door just as she threw a pillow at him.

Gillian was still ringing the doorbell and yelling at the door when Oakley approached it. "Give me just a minute, Mum," he responded, his own voice feeling hollow and muffled by the heavy wood. He unlocked the deadbolt and twisted the handle, then swung the door open. Plastering a fake smile on his face as he lifted his face to her, he said, "Hello, Mum. Thanks for coming."

"Oakley!" she exclaimed, walking through the open door and enclosing him in her arms. "I'm so happy you called me." Gillian pushed her way past him. She rolled her wheeled suitcases as far as the threshold, implying that she expected Oakley to take them the rest of the distance to her room. "You've got a beautiful house," she said, looking around. "Now, where am I staying."

He grasped the handle of her luggage and hefted it over the bottom of the door frame. "About that, Mum," he sighed, "We've got an office with a futon in it..."

"That will never do," she interrupted. "You know how I feel about those things. You might as well have me sleeping on the floor with the dog." She scowled at him.

"Mum, if you'd let me finish," he groaned, "I was going to say that we've ordered a bed and it will be here on Monday."

Gillian smirked at him. "I suppose that will do, right?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. "And I would imagine that you don't want me on your sofa, even though I'm sure it would be much more comfortable."

As they passed the piece of furniture in question, Oakley threw up his hands in exasperation. "If you'd like to sleep there, be my guest," he groused. "But, I assure you, come seven AM, you'd be piled upon my Annie and all her dolls and forced to watch cartoons."

She smacked her lips in distaste. "You've really got to reign in on that child a bit," she said stiffly. "As she gets older, she's only going to run all over you and your wife."

Her tone got Oakley's hackles up. "My wife's name is Emily and Anneliese is the sweetest, most loving little girl to those that deserve it," he shot, reeling in the feeling that he would have felt better if he'd strangled her. He took a deep breath and mumbled, "Like you have room to talk about parenting."

"What was that?" she asked, still following him. "I didn't quite catch that, Dear."

Irritated, he replied, "Never mind, Mum." They reached the doorway for the downstairs guest room and Oakley opened the door, letting his mother pass. "Here's where you'll be staying." He waved his hand and motioned into the room.

Gillian stepped in, her eyes critically taking n the surroundings, the oatmeal colored walls, the small desk on the far wall, the futon next to it, the slightly ajar door to the closet that gave her just a glimpse of the bureau tucked inside, the gauzy blue curtains that offered a bit of privacy and little else. "It's so small," she sighed, her voice with an undertone of disapproval. "But, I suppose it will have to do."

"The other rooms are already spoken for and almost the same size," Oakley defended. "I was thinking of your comfort, anyhow. You don't want to sleep in a room sandwiched by Annie and the twins, do you?"

Her face soured. "I'd rather not." She turned her attention away from him and sat down, perching just barely on the corner of the futon. "It's a bit hard, isn't it?"

He rolled his eyes as he sat her luggage down on the floor next to her. "That's why we ordered you a regular bed." His brain was addled and her curt demeanor only served to make it ache, the stress from just these few minutes making his body feel sunburned. "Well," he huffed as he stood straight. "I'll leave you to get settled, then." Without waiting for any sort of a reply, he left the room, heading for the upstairs bathroom to grab something for the pain throbbing in his head. 

Emily was awake, lying in the bed with one foot poking from underneath the covers. She smiled as Oakley walked in, looking up from the book she was reading. "Did you get her settled?" she asked.

He nodded. "It's how we expected," he groaned as he knelt down next to her and laid his head on her burgeoning belly. "Mum complained about everything, including the size of her room. Honestly, if we didn't need her, I'd send her off."

"I know," she comforted, her fingers absently reaching up to tangle in his curls. "At least you've got work to escape to. I'm the one that has to get on with her most of the time. And Annie."

"Is Ellie still going to come around to take Annie to play group?" He closed his eyes and let her massaging fingers relax the knots in his scalp.

Emily rolled slightly and adjusted, holding his head on her belly. One of the babies kicked him in the jaw and she let out a soft giggle. "Looks like a little fighter," she quipped before continuing the conversation. "Yeah, she's promised to come Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. Two days for play group and we're trying a primary school prep class for her once a week."

Oakley sighed. "I don't even want to think of my baby girl being old enough to start primary school." He turned his head and looked at Emily. "She's not old enough."

"She's nearly five," Emily smiled. "She'll be old enough to begin, then."

He shook his head. "Five?" Realizing what day it was, his eyes widened. "Her birthday is tomorrow. Oh, God, we've nearly forgotten her birthday. What will we do?" Sitting up, he was in full panic mode.

"Relax," Emily assured, "It's been taken care of. She's got Annie tomorrow and has invited some of her little friends from play group to their house to eat sweets and watch a Disney movie."

Oakley chuckled. "Let me guess, she picked 'Cinderella'?"

Emily nodded. "You guessed it!" she grinned. "Give the man a prize!"

"What do I get?" he asked, edging closer to her.

"I think you've won a well-deserved kiss," she answered, propping herself up on her elbow and leaning towards him. She pulled him closer to her with the hand on the back of his neck and brushed her lips over his. 

He hummed with delight, his own hand moving to hold her as she held him, but his kiss was more insistent. "I think I deserve more than one," he mumbled as he worked her mouth, his tongue prying between her lips and dancing with her own. Oakley felt her relax against him, heard her let out a small sigh between kisses. She tasted like tea and honey, warm, sweet, comforting. "Care to take a shower?" he asked when he released her.

Emily's eyes were closed, her face happy, calm. "Yeah," she whispered. "I do." 

Oakley stood up and held his hands out, ready to help her off the bed. He watched as she rolled completely to her side and swung her feet both out of the covers and off the side of the mattress, then slid enough that they touched the floor. "Do you need help?" he asked, concerned.

She batted a hand at him. "I've got it," she replied, her voice slightly muffled by the pillow. "I've had practice." Her feet settled against the wood floor and she sat up, taking a deep breath before standing. She grimaced for a moment and complained, "I feel heavier every day."

"Well, you are carrying two extra people," he replied as he leaned down, brushed the silk of the robe she wore away and kissed her belly. "And I bet they're going to be the cutest two ever."

"There's no reason they wouldn't be," she smiled. "They've got a handsome Daddy."

Oakley chuckled as he stood back up and made his way around behind Emily. He wrapped his arms around her as far as they could go and kissed her neck. "And they've got a gorgeous Mum."

The two of them went into the bathroom and undressed and were about to step into the shower when they heard a violent knocking on the bedroom door, muffled only by the space between it and the closed bathroom door. Emily rolled her eyes and opened the door a crack. "Annie, Sweetheart, is that you?" she called.

"It most certainly is not," Gillian replied haughtily. "There is something out here that demands your attention immediately."

"Fuck," Oakley exclaimed under his breath. "I'll get it," he told Emily as he grabbed a towel from the bar on the wall and wrapped it around his waist. "Go ahead and get in the shower if you'd like. I'm not sure how long this will take."

Emily shook her head solemnly and climbed into the shower as he opened the door and left the room, shutting it behind him with a thud. She could hear him grouse, "Coming, Mum," as she ducked her head under the spray.

The cool air of the bedroom gave Oakley goosebumps as he opened the bedroom door. "Emily and I were just about to shower," he announced. "This had better be extremely important."

Gillian smiled coolly. "I went into the kitchen to make myself some tea and you've no cream," she answered. "You know, I need cream if I'm to have a decent cup of tea." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, waiting for his response.

"Mum," Oakley said with more than a bit of annoyance in his voice, "You are perfectly capable of walking to the market on the corner and buying yourself some cream."

She stared at him for a moment, regarding him with a mixture of spite and dominance. "I am a guest here," she said, pointing one long finger and poking it into the center of his bare chest. "I ought to be treated like one."

He drew in a deep, resigned breath. "We asked you here to be a help for Emily," he sighed. "That means you get to be what you have always wanted- part of the family."

"Well," she smacked her lips as she withdrew from him, "I guess I'll make due with milk until you get to the market." She puffed up her chest and turned away from him with a decided harrumph. 

Oakley shook his head as he made his way back through the bedroom and into the steamy confines of the bathroom. "She wanted cream for her tea," he grumbled as he threw the towel from his waist over the toilet seat. "I can't believe the nerve of that woman!" He climbed into the shower and saw Emily standing, soaking wet under the shower head, her eyes closed, her hands placed like the painting of Venus, her hair dripping and bedraggled just barely covering her breasts. "You are a sight for sore eyes," he said softly.

Emily smiled and opened her eyes as she leaned out of the water. "Cream?" she asked. He nodded. "We need to set some ground rules."

"I'm worried if we do, she'll leave and then how well-off are we?" He scooted around her to get himself under the shower head.

"I'd rather do it alone than with an entitled bitch helping me," she scowled. When she saw Oakley's shocked expression, she smirked. "There, yes, I called your mum a bitch."

Oakley grinned. "I'm not disagreeing with you," he said as he rubbed a dollop of shampoo into his curls. "And, yes, we will set some ground rules."

Emily smiled and opened the curtain to grab her towel. "I'll meet you in the bedroom," she said as she wrapped the terry cloth around her and wicked up the water from her skin. The cool air felt good on her over-warm skin and she shivered as she walked to the bureau to find some clothing for the day. As she opened the drawer, she looked longingly at the folded pairs of jeans and sexy lingerie, missing wearing them. One of the babies kicked and brought her out of her reminiscing. "Mummy's going to wear those again after you're born, littles," she whispered. "Until then, it's yoga pants and t-shirts. Pulling out a hot pink pair of pants and a tightly-fitting, black, v-neck t-shirt, some utilitarian panties and a sports bras, she took a deep breath. "I'm as big as a house."

She didn't hear Oakley finish his shower and steal up behind her. He made her jump in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her again. "You're not," he purred. "You're the sexiest, most beautiful mother of my children I know."

Chuckling, she rotated as best as she could in his arms. "I better be the only mother of your children you know," she retorted.

"Absolutely," he grinned as he leaned in to kiss her.

Just as their lips met, Annie's small fists knocked on their door. "Mummy! Daddy!" she cried. "There's funny noises downstairs!" She was in a panic.

Both Oakley and Emily wrapped their towels back around themselves as Oakley went to open the door. Annie slid in as soon as it was cracked enough. She had just woken up, her golden curls a rat's nest of tangles, her Sleeping Beauty pajamas rumpled, the wrinkle impressions of her bedclothes embossing her arms. Her little hands reached up to rub the sleep from her eyes. Oakley picked her up as best as he could without undoing the tenuous knot of towel at his hip. "What did it sound like?" he asked.

"Some lady making noise with the spoons and saying naughty things," she answered.

He glanced back at Emily, who had managed, in their distraction, to slip on her bra and t-shirt. She smiled knowingly at him and cocked her eyebrows. "Princess," he said, turning his attention back to the little girl in his arms, "That is only your Granny Gilly. She's come to stay with us to help Mummy and you and I."

Annaliese's little face drew into a severe pucker of disdain. "I don't like Granny Gilly," she grumbled. "She's mean."

"Annie, Love," he sighed, "Sometimes we have to be nice to mean people, especially when they come to help us." He didn't want to sound too severe, but he could think of no other way to explain it. 

Emily finished getting dressed and came to stand next to them. "Sweetheart," she said sweetly, "Granny Gilly loves us, she just shows it differently." She put her hand on the little girl's back, cupping it. "Now, why don't you and Daddy go pick out a nice outfit, brush your hair and meet me downstairs for a lovely breakfast?"

Annie's sour face transformed. "Okay," she said with an enthusiastic grin. She wiggled out of Oakley's arms and shimmied down his side while he tried desperately to hold on to his towel. Crisis averted, he shuffled behind Emily to secure it again. Annie ran back to the door and opened it. "May I have bacon?" she asked on her way out.

"Absolutely," Emily answered. "Now scoot and Daddy will be in there in a moment."

As the door shut, Oakley breathed out in relief. "Oh, thank God!" he exclaimed. "I did not want to have the boy parts, girl parts discussion this morning."

Emily laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, we'll have a little discussion after the babies are born," she said. "It'll be the perfect opportunity."

He chuckled with her as he grabbed some jeans and boxers out of his own bureau and slid them on over his damp legs. "That would be marvelous," he answered. "Until then, let's agree to not answer the door when we're in only towels."

"Agreed," Emily replied.

Oakley left the room as Emily gathered her phone, the book she was reading, and her pillow. She heard him and Annie giggling in her room as she passed by and then made her way slowly down the stairs, working hard to keep her balance and using her bare toes to feel her way from step to step. Once she was standing successfully on the landing, she padded into the living room, set her things down on the sofa, and sat down. She leaned back, closed her eyes and smiled, letting the sounds of Oakley and Annie's joy carry over her from upstairs. She had almost forgotten that Gillian was there until she heard the clink of pans in the kitchen. "Gillian?" she called as she sat back up and opened her eyes.

Gillian emerged in the doorway of the kitchen with a skillet in her hand and a sour look on her face. "I can't believe you only have these cheap pans," she said with distaste.

Emily chose to ignore the comment, instead responding with, "Well, Oakley will be down momentarily to help with breakfast."

Shaking her head, Gillian made her way into the living room and sat down on an easy chair opposite of Emily. She held the pan on her knees and leaned forward, studying Emily with a banal curiosity. "He's just like his father, that one," she said, motioning with her head towards the upstairs.

"Oakley would be loathe to hear you say that," Emily scowled. "He hated his father."

"That's right," Gillian said, almost to herself, "George is dead." She narrowed her eyes at Emily. "No matter, Oakley is so like his father, it's pathetic."

Curious, Emily asked, "How so?" She knew so little of Oakley's father and she hoped that Gillian might be able to shed a little light on why Oakley hated his father. "From What Oakley tells me, his father was a tyrant, always blaming Oakley for being a layabout and a loser, stealing things and generally being a miscreant. Oakley told me that his father used to beat him quite regularly."

Gillian scowled. "George wasn't always like that," she sighed. "In fact, when he and I met, he was as light a spirit as I've known. We met at Uni, when we were young. We were far too young to start a family, but that's what we did. God, but he was handsome. Oakley has his looks, you know." Emily shook her head. "We got married no more than six months after we met, had Oakley another six months after that. George was such a doting father and he loved his boy fiercely. I think that's why it pained him when Oakley began to show traits George himself had tried so hard to overcome. Honestly, of the two of us, George was the least reliable. He would often go out with friends and not come in until the wee hours of the morning, leaving me and Oakley to our own devices. It wasn't until the heavy drinking began that I entertained the thought of leaving him because when he drank, he became unhinged. The first time he hit me was the last time he hit me. He'd concocted some story in his head that I was fooling around behind his back, then convinced himself that Oakley was not his child. When I pleaded my case, George punched me square in the gut. It was all I could do to pick myself off the floor and leave."

"Why did you leave Oakley with him?" Emily asked, horrified that Gillian could even do such a thing.

Shrugging, Gillian answered apathetically, "Oakley was asleep. I didn't want to wake him. I always meant to come back for him, but George threatened me."

"Did the courts do nothing?" Emily never thought she'd feel sympathy for Gillian, yet, here she was, drawn into Gillian's personal tragedy.

Gillian shook her head. "Times were much different then," she replied. "The courts only saw that I was the one who did the leaving. I hadn't gone to hospital, nor had I gone to the police, so there was no record that he'd assaulted me. They gave George Oakley and me nothing." She wiped an errant tear from her eye. "I stayed as long as I could, nearby, always watching my son, until I was called away for my job. I regret every day I missed."

As Gillian finished her story and Emily tried to console her, Oakley came downstairs carrying Annie on his shoulders. His eyes swept, first over Emily's concerned face, then over his mother's own emotional expression. "Why so glum?" he asked them as he set Annie down with a squeal.

Gillian sat up and gave him a weak smile. "I was just telling Emily how much you remind me of your father when we met."

Oakley scowled. "I'm not anything like my father," he growled. "The only thing that man ever gave me were scars and a trust fund and I think the scars will be around much longer than the trust fund will ever be."

She stood up and walked to his side, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Oakley," she cooed, "I meant no harm in comparing you. I'm sorry." She leaned in and softly kissed his cheek.

He was stunned. He'd never heard his mother apologize for anything, ever. "I'm sorry, too," he gave in. "My father is a rather touchy subject," he explained. "I'd rather not talk about him." He moved towards the kitchen, escaping his mother's embrace. "Now, who would like breakfast?"

Annie jumped up and down with excitement after him. "Me, me!!!!"


	35. Chapter 35

By the time Monday came, Oakley was glad he needed to go to work, but regretted that Emily and Annie would be home and at the mercy of his mother. Gillian, in the span of two days with them, managed to upend everything. She'd insisted on going to the grocer for food, even though they'd insisted they had a fully stocked pantry, she developed a nasty habit of answering their cell phones when they rang, unless they kept them on themselves, and, in an effort to "discipline" Annie more than she thought Oakley and Emily were, she pushed to institute a rigorous bedtime, chore schedule, and waking time. 

She was awake before Oakley got up and was sitting at the small table in the dining nook, reading the morning papers. "Oakley," she smiled as he entered the room, bed-headed and bleary-eyed, "Coffee is ready. Would you like some eggs?"

He shook his head. "Mother, we need to talk," he grumbled as he sat down opposite of her. The idea of coffee and eggs, perhaps toast, was enticing, but he wasn't about to let his mother sweet-talk him with food. Not just yet. "You're being overbearing."

Gillian smiled sweetly at him, an impulse he knew immediately as a fake one. "How so, Darling?" She reached out to fix his mussed hair and he leaned away from her in aversion. "I've only been here two days."

"I know," he replied, "And therein lies the problem. We did ask you to be here to help, not upend the family." He took a deep breath. "And Emily told me you related some long-winded story about how my father kept me from you and you were afraid for your life. Why did you do that?"

She smirked and shrugged. "I was hoping it would help my case a bit is all."

"You lied to her!" he yelled, attempting to keep his voice down as best as he could. "You played on Emily's sympathies as a mother to do what?"

Gillian's face fell. "Well, it was a version of the truth," she huffed. "Your father did keep you from me, in a manner of speaking."

Oakley scowled and shook his head. "You left me, us, to move to India," he said, his tone growing more accusatory. "You never tried to take me with you- you just left me with ... him." He spat out the word like a bug on his tongue. "The courts were what kept you from taking me. I remember sitting in the gallery with a court-appointed guardian as they deemed you unfit, then awarded custody of me to my father."

She looked as though she'd been smacked. "That's not true," she defended, her voice wavering. "Not true at all." But he could see in her eyes that it was. The woman who wanted to run their lives, to ruin their lives, was caught in her own lie. 

He stood from the table and scooted his chair back in, its feet scraping noisily along the tiled floor. "I've got to get to work, Mum," he said, exasperated. "Emily will need your help when she gets down. I expect Annie will be up before too long as well." Sighing, he turned from her and left the room, shuffling his feet as he walked away. 

Oakley climbed back upstairs to give Emily a goodbye kiss before he left. She was awake, but barely. Smiling at him sleepily, she stretched, yawned and cooed, "Good morning, my love."

He smiled and sat down on the bed next to her. "I'm off to work," he said quietly. "Now, remember what I told you about my Mum?"

Emily nodded. "Don't let her run things," she replied. "I still feel awful that I fell for her sob story."

Shaking his head, he responded, "Don't. She's a master manipulator and she will sink to depths to get whatever she wants." His disdain for his mother was evident by the look on his face.

She smacked him lightly on the arm and joked, "So that's where you get it from?"

Oakley rolled his eyes and leaned down to give her a kiss. "Har har," he groaned. "I'll check in with you at lunch and see you when I get home."

"Alright," Emily purred. She reached to grasp the front of his shirt and pulled him down to get another kiss. "I'll be waiting."

Some time after Oakley had gone down the hallway to give Annie her own kiss goodbye and then left the house, Emily decided to get out of bed. She'd heard Annie playing quietly in her room, the words princess and dragons floating in the air on more than one occasion. Downstairs, there was silence. Emily thought it odd and got up to investigate. She slid her feet into a pair of fluffy pink slippers Annie picked out, covered herself with a blue plush robe that was hanging haphazardly off the back of a chair, and carefully picked her way down the stairs. "Gillian?" she called into the silence. "Are you there?" Her heart dropped when she heard no response.

Annie came bounding down the staircase after her, her little feet barely touching the carpeted steps as she flew. "Mummy!" she screeched, about to pounce on Emily when she remembered herself and came to a rest at Emily's feet, hugging her legs tightly. 

Emily reached down and tousled her curls. "Good morning, Sweetheart," she smiled. "Have you seen Granny?"

Shaking her head and mussing her hair further, Annie answered, "Nope. I think she left."

"I hope not," Emily replied as she shook herself from the little girl's grasp. She peered into the living room and it was still dark and empty, silent as a tomb. Upon inspection of the kitchen, she found Gillian was not there, either, the only evidence of her a coffee mug with her signature lipstick stained around the lip. Gillian was not in her room, either. Exhausted already, she returned to the living room and collapsed into the sofa.

Annie curled up next to her. "Are you okay, Mummy?" she asked, her voice carrying sweetly to Emily's ears.

"Yes, Sweetheart," Emily replied, "Just a bit concerned as to where Granny Gilly went off to." She sighed as she reached to grab her cell phone from the pocket of her robe, having forgotten she'd stowed it there the previous night until she felt the weight of it on her hip. It had barely any juice left. "Annie, can you please get Mummy's charge cord?" she asked.

Hopping up from her place on the sofa, Annie smiled broadly and said, "Yes!" before scurrying away and up the stairs to find the cord. Emily could hear her thumping around overhead as she searched for it and then a squeal of excitement as she found it, followed by the patter of her feet running towards the stairs, before slowing to a near-silent, careful footfall as she climbed down the stairs. Finally, she was standing in front of Emily, grinning as she held the prize in her hand. "Her it is!" she announced.

"Thank you, Sweetheart," Emily smiled. She couldn't help but feel a surge of love for the little girl. Even though Annie wasn't hers by birth, she was hers by love. 

Annie helped her plug the cord into the wall and Emily attached it to her phone before dialing Oakley. She wasn't sure he would answer, all that depended on whether he was working on a car or not, but she figured she could at least leave a message for him. Luckily, he answered, his voice suspicious as though he had a sixth sense and knew immediately something was wrong. "Emily," he said, "I didn't expect you to call me so early. Is everything alright?"

Emily sighed. "It's your mother." She knew that wasn't enough of an explanation, but she waited for him to say something before adding to it.

"What did she do now?" he groaned.

"She's not here," she answered. "There's no note, nothing. Annie and I just got up and she was gone."

He hesitated for a moment and it was almost as if Emily could hear him shaking his head in frustration. "Fuck," he grunted. "Let me try reaching her cell phone and see where she went. I should give her a piece of my mind."

"Don't do that, Darling." Emily was concerned he would be the one to drive his mother away.

Oakley groaned again. "Em," he said, his voice on edge, "I know that you're worried about being by yourself, and I am, too, but we're so close now that... well... what if something were to happen?" 

She chuckled. "I know we're close," she replied. "Don't forget Ellie has already offered to come over at a moment's notice if I need her to. Even though she can't be here all the time, she's willing to do that."

"I know." He seemed to calm down. "I just can't believe she did that."

"Just call her and make sure she's okay." 

They hung up after saying their, "I love you"s and it was only a couple minutes before Oakley called her back. "My mum went out for decent coffee," Oakley said when Emily answered.

"We don't have decent coffee?" she asked, miffed that Gillian left for such a petty reason.

Oakley took a deep breath, letting it out as he said, "Apparently not. Anyway, she's on her way back now."

"That's good." As much as she was loathe to admit it, Emily was glad and felt a wave of relief that her mother-in-law was at least safe. "I'll let you get back to work, then."

He let out a small snort. "Yeah, I should. John's giving me the evil eye."

"Okay," she giggled. "I love you."

"I love you, too." As he hung up his end of the line, Emily heard John say something to Oakley followed by a kissy noise and one of Oakley's broad laughs.

She turned to Annie, who was sitting quietly in her favorite corner of the living room, the one near the tall bookshelf, coloring in one of her coloring books and talking softly to Princess Teddybear. Unable to resist, Emily held up her cell phone and snapped a picture. "Hey!" Annie scowled as she looked up. "I didn't want a picture."

"But you looked adorable there with Princess Teddybear," Emily smiled.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Okay," she huffed before returning to her coloring.

Emily closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the sofa, reveling in the quietude of the house, the soft notes of Annie's voice as they carried through the air. She was happy, they finally had some peace in their lives, despite the disruption of Gillian and everything she brought with her. Everything Emily had imagined was what she had now, the house, the family, the loving husband. She didn't think she could be happier.

"For God's sake!" Gillian's voice rang through the house in abject disapproval. "I can't believe you'd let that child wander the house alone while you took a nap."

Her eyes snapped open as she sat upright. "I only closed my eyes for a few seconds," Emily protested as she fought to focus on Gillian standing before her. 

"Likely story," Gillian grumbled. She held Annie next to her by the short collar. "This little troublemaker was in my room tearing apart my luggage while you did nothing about it."

"I was looking for a dress for Princess Teddybear!" Annie argued. 

Emily sighed and shook her head. "Annie, Sweetheart," she called, patting the spot next to her on the sofa. The little girl scrambled up next to her. "What have you been told about getting into someone elses' things without permission?"

Annie's eyes widened and her face fell to a somber little pucker. "Not to do it," she mumbled.

"Now, what do you say to Granny Gilly?" Emily motioned her head towards Gillian.

At first, Annie was resistant to looking at her grandmother, her scowl saying all she needed to say, but when she realized she wasn't getting out of it, she turned, pasted a sweet smile on her face and batted her eyelashes. "I'm sorry, Granny Gilly, I won't do it again," she apologized.

Gillian nodded her head at Annie, accepting the apology, and watched as the little girl hopped from the sofa and hurried upstairs to her own sanctuary. After Annie was out of earshot, she turned her vitriol on Emily. "What an impudent child," she huffed. "She reminds me of her father at that age."

"You mean, what you saw of him, right?" Emily asked sweetly.

"What?" Gillian hesitated. "Oh, yes, what I saw of him."

Emily shook her head. "Oakley told me everything," she said. "You weren't forced out of his life, were you?"

Disdainfully, Gillian admitted, "No." She was caught in her own lie. "I left because he was incorrigible. Every bit as much as his father. I could barely stand one of them that stubborn, much less two of them."

"Well, Oakley is nothing like his father, now," Emily said. "That should make you happy."

Gillian glared at her. "He's still every bit like his father," she growled. "And you're ruining his chances of improving his life, tying him down with a house and children. Do you ever think maybe he should have done something with his life besides working as a mechanic in a filthy garage?" By the time she'd finished her diatribe, her voice reached fever pitch.

That was the last straw. Emily lashed out, yelling, "Oakley is happy! Do you even know what he went through because of you, because of his father? Are you jealous because you weren't the one to make him happy?"

"Well, I never!" Gillian exploded. "You and my son are both ungrateful people. How dare you speak to me that way." She crossed her arms and leaned forward as though she was challenging Emily.

Emily stood from the sofa and put her hands on her hips. "How dare you speak that way in my house," she returned.

Gillian had no comeback. Instead, she chose to turn around and stomp to her room, calling, "If that's going to be your attitude about my coming to help, I'm leaving." She emerged a few minutes later with her luggage, pulling it roughly behind her, not caring that it was tipping and hitting furniture on her way to the door. She sent one last hateful look to Emily before opening the door with enough force to dent the wall with the doorknob, then walking through it and slamming the door shut behind her.

"Good riddance," Emily grumbled. She didn't realize how tight she'd balled her hands into fists until they started hurting. She relaxed them and reached down to grab the phone once again to update Oakley.

When Oakley answered, he thought it was just Emily updating him on his mother's whereabouts. He was not prepared when she told him about the argument and that his mother had left, possibly for good. "I should call her and smooth things over," he said.

"Don't bother," Emily told him. "She think so little of the two of us that I'm surprised she agreed to come in the first place." She went on to explain everything that Gillian had said.

"God, Em," he said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize any of that."

He was about to hang up when the sudden thought that Emily's "Love you, see you when you get home," sounded strange. "Em, is everything alright?" he asked.

She drew in a sharp breath. "No," she groaned. "I think you better come home." Emily groaned and whispered, "No, not now."

"Emily?" he yelled, his voice turning to panic. "I'm on my way." He hung up the phone, told John that there was an emergency and grabbed his jacket from his workbench.

"Is everything alright?" John asked as Oakley rushed past him. "I'll call Ellie and have her go over there until you get home," he called out the door, unsure if he was heard or not.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes details of birth... it might be a bit much if you're squeamish.

When Oakley arrived home, his house was in upheaval. Emily was on the sofa, reclined back with her eyes closed. Her face was contorted in pain and Ellie, sitting next to her and holding her hand, was instructing her to breathe. Annie was nowhere in sight, but she could be heard as her feet thumped upstairs from jumping and running around her room. "Is everything alright?" he asked to anyone in general, concerned.

As the pain passed, Emily opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "It's time," she replied. "The littles are coming. We need to get to the hospital."

"Okay!" Oakley flew to her side to help her up. "Ellie, can you watch Annie for us?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around Emily.

Ellie nodded. "I've already planned on it. The moment John called me, I knew it would be needed." She winked at him. "You two have got nothing to worry about. Annie and I have some princess things to do," she explained, pointing to a box overflowing with pink and glitter in the corner.

"Thank you," Emily groaned.

Ellie grinned. "Think nothing of it," she answered, "I've been planning this for months."

Oakley guided Emily out the door, yelling, "Princess, Mummy and Daddy will be back later!" up the stairs to Annie.

She came flying out of her room and down the stairs. "Are you bringing home the babies?" she squealed as she embraced his leg and held on tightly.

"We should be," he smiled. "Now, you be a good girl for Auntie Ellie, okay?"

Annie shook her head and let go only to spin into the living room singing, "The babies, the babies, we're going to see the babies."

Another contraction began and Emily started to double over. "We need to go," she groaned through gritted teeth. "They're coming closer together." She grabbed Oakley's hand and gripped it, squeezing as she used the door frame to stabilize herself until it passed. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the wood and drew in as deep a breath as she could, letting it back out slowly. 

Oakley wanted to embrace her, to find some way to take the pain away, but he couldn't. Instead, he knelt down in front of her and placed his hand on her belly. "I can't wait to meet you littles," he whispered before kissing her. He could feel how hard her belly was, and then felt it soften, relaxing as the last wave of the contraction faded. He stood up and kissed Emily on the forehead. "Alright, Darling," he cooed, "Let's go have some babies."

It was easier to help Emily into the car as he imagined it would be. She chose to lie down in the back seat, after they'd moved Annie's car seat and her various collection of toys out. Once she was comfortable and securely strapped in, he got in and started the car. Emily stayed silent, with exception to the moans and groans she emitted with each contraction, and Oakley didn't feel like listening to the radio, so they drove quietly, until Oakley got on the on-ramp for the expressway to the hospital. "Fuck," he mumbled under his breath.

"What is it?" Emily asked. If she was concerned, she hid it well. "Did you take a wrong turn?"

"No," Oakley replied, "The expressway is completely stopped."

"Can you turn back and go another route?" The words hung there in mid-air, pained as another contraction began.

He sighed, "No, I'm afraid we're stuck here until it begins moving again." Oakley rubbed his temples, feeling a stress headache coming on. He tried to distract himself from the situation, as traffic inched along, by thinking about the hospital and the babies and Emily and Annie. For nearly everything they'd been through, the hospital had been a huge turning point. If a place could hold an important significance, the hospital would be it for them. He and Emily had been married there, Annie was saved there, and, now, the babies would be born there, beginning the next chapter of their lives.

Oakley's thoughts were broken by a scream of pain from Emily as her contraction increased. He'd just been able to edge onto the expressway and traffic was beginning to move again when she moaned, "I don't think we're going to make it."

"What do you mean?" he asked. "The cars are moving now. We can get to the hospital in about 20 minutes." He was confident in that assessment. 

Emily's hand reached up and gripped the back of the seat, drawing his attention. Her knuckles were white and she grasped it so hard there were sure to be permanent finger prints in the leather. "Oakley," she grunted, "Pull over and call emergency. The babies are coming now."

He froze, unsure if he'd heard what he thought he'd heard. "Now?" he asked in disbelief.

"Now!" she yelled as she reached the peak, once again."

He threw the turn signal on and waited for an opening, merging left to the shoulder of the road as soon as someone let him, then easing the car onto the gravel, coming to a soft stop. Emily was feeling the onset of yet another contraction as he pulled his phone out and called the emergency number. It rang once, and then there was the operator. "Sir, what's your emergency?" she asked.

"My wife's having a baby and we're stuck on the expressway," he shouted into the phone, as if his volume would help anyone get there faster to help them. "Please, send help. We've got to get her to hospital."

The operator was the calm amidst the storm. "Stay calm, please, Sir," she said. "How far apart are her contractions?"

"Seconds." He was beginning to sweat. "Her last one began almost as soon as the one before it ended."

"Alright," she replied. "I'm going to get an ambulance sent your way. In the mean time, I'm connecting you with a doctor at the hospital who can guide you through what you need to do."

"What I need to do?" he asked, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Sir," she responded, "You are going to be delivering that baby."

"Twins, we're having twins." Even to himself, he sounded frantic. "I don't know if I can."

A different voice came on the line. "You can and you have no choice," she chuckled amiably. "My name is Dr. Ellison. Now, Sir, do you have any blankets in your car?"

"No," he answered. "What do I need blankets for?"

"To keep the babies warm when they come out." The doctor was patient, her voice calming amid his maelstrom of emotions. "Do you have anything else you can use for that? And, do you have a knife, scissors, something sharp to cut the cords with and something to tie like some string?"

The impending births became a reality for Oakley, smacking him in the face with the fact that he'd be the one delivering them. Emily would not be in the comfort of the hospital bed, she was restricted to the area of the back seat of their car. "My shirt," he replied. "We only have my shirt. And, yes, I have zip ties and a utility knife in the trunk."

"Is it clean? Or do you have anything you can clean it with?" Dr. Ellison had obviously guided someone through the emergency birth process before.

Oakley paused for a moment. "I just put the shirt on this morning," he answered before realizing she was talking about the knife. "The knife has never been opened, but I have some window wipes if I need them."

"That's good, they might help." He listened as she shuffled some papers. "Now, her contractions are going to be getting even more forceful. I need you to check her dilation and I will walk you through how."

He took a deep breath. "Alright, I trust you," he said. It was himself he didn't trust. The further along they got, the more he couldn't wait for the sirens and for professionals to take over.

In an effort to help him relax, she asked, "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a mechanic," he chuckled. "A lot of good that'll do for me, now."

"Well, what's the first thing you do when you're working on a car?" Answering her own question, she said, "You get under the bonnet, right? Well, that's where you're going. If your wife is wearing pants, you will need to take them off."

Oakley looked pained at Emily. "I'm sorry, Darling, but I've got to remove your pants," he apologized as he pulled them down, making her giggle. Once they were laid on the floor, he returned to the call. "Now what?" he asked the doctor.

"You best put me on speaker phone," she answered, "Because things are about to get messy."

He switched his phone to speaker and laid it on the ledge under the rear window. "Alright, Doc," he yelled.

"Now, you'll need to insert your hand inside her," Dr. Ellison instructed, "Now, you'll feel her cervix, it'll feel like puckered lips."

"Okay." He did as she said, trying to put out of his head where he was an what he was doing. 

A contraction started and Emily gritted her teeth. "This might be the least sexy thing you've done down there," she joked as she breathed out hard.

"Now, how many fingers can you fit inside it?" the doctor asked, not hearing Emily.

Oakley shot Emily a scowl, but gave her his free hand to squeeze as she rode out the pain. "I can fit five and it's loose."

Dr. Ellis sounded happy with the result of his findings. "That's good," she said. "Now, you might be able to feel some hair because one of them should be right there."

He wiggled his fingers and felt the downy wetness of the baby's head. Tears began to form in his eyes and his voice broke when he answered, "I do, it's right there."

Emily let out a cry. "I feel like I need to push!" she yelled.

His eyes widened in panic as he pulled his hand from her. "Doc, she wants to push... is that okay?" Once Dr. Ellison gave him the go-ahead, he gave Emily a thumbs-up.

"Now," the doctor instructed, "You will see the baby crown, its head will be coming out. She needs only to push until you are able to get the baby's shoulders free. You may need to help. After that, you can pull the baby out and lie it on her chest. It will be the same for the other one." 

He took a deep breath and watched as Emily grasped his hand, braced her heels against the seat and bore down. Her face wrenched with the pain and she growled like a feral cat as she worked with the contraction. He could see the baby's head as it crowned and he cooed, "That was lovely, Darling. Now another one of those and we should have one of the babies out."

Emily glared at him. "You did this to me," she groaned as she pushed through another contraction. "Oakley!" she screamed as the baby's head and shoulders emerged.

He took his hand from hers and gently grasped the baby's shoulders, guiding her out. "It's our girl," he cried, his cheeks instantly wet with tears. "She's beautiful." He cleared away the mucus from her eyes and mouth as Dr. Ellison instructed and the baby began to cry. "She's got good lungs," he said, proud, as he laid her down on Emily's chest.

With barely enough time to catch her breath, Emily grunted. "I've got to push, again," she announced. 

Oakley nodded as he took his shirt off and covered the bay with it, then returned to position for the other baby. He waited with baited breath as Emily pushed through her contractions until the second baby's head emerged, then shoulders, until he was holding another bundle. "And, it's our boy," he beamed. He cleaned the baby boy up as well, listening to him squeal. "Wow, hello, little man."

"Now, Sir," the doctor interjected, "The ambulance is almost there, but you're going to need to cut the cords. Do you have your knife and ties?"

He glanced around. "I'll need to get those," he answered. He left Emily exhausted but elated, cuddling the littles as he climbed back out of the back seat and went around to pop the trunk. When he got back with the necessities, he said, "I've got them, now."

"Great," Dr. Ellison seemed pleased. "Now, you need to use a zip tie to tie off, tightly, about halfway down each cord." Without waiting for him to follow, she finished, "Once that's done, use your knife to cut about an inch from each of their little bellies. The ambulance should be there by then."

"Okay, got it," he said as he tied off the first one, then the second one. "Em, can you roll them over?" he asked quietly. "I need to cut their cords."

Emily nudged the babies onto their sides to allow Oakley access and held their squirming forms still as he opened the knife package and sliced through the tissue with its razor-sharp blade. "God, I love you," she beamed. "Thank you for making me the happiest woman, ever."

He leaned in and gave her a kiss, then kissed each of the babies. "I love you, too," he returned. he saw a vehicle pull up behind them. "The ambulance is here," he announced, "Now that we've done the hard part."


	37. Chapter 37

"I want to see them!" was the shriek from the excited Annaliese as she tugged on her father's hand, urging him down the hospital corridor. "Come on!" 

Oakley laughed. "They're not going anywhere, Princess," he said, then, with a glance over his shoulder at Amanda as she walked to catch up with them at the other end of the corridor, "Besides, we might lose your gran."

Amanda waved them on. "I'll catch up," she shouted, "Don't worry about me!"

Her answer, of course, spurred the five year old on and she huffed and puffed even harder in her effort. "Daddy! Come on!" She was impatient in the way only a child of her age could be, with a gathered scowl and red cheeks.

"Alright, alright," he threw his hands up in mock surrender. "You win." With a mischievous grin, he scooped her up in a hail of giggles, held her up like an airplane and the two of them disappeared around the corner with a whoosh. As they reached Emily's room, he set her down and knelt to her level. "Now, Princess," he said, his voice taking on a more solemn, authoritative tone, "Mummy and the babies might be sleeping, so we've got to be extra quiet. Can you do that?"

Mirroring his seriousness, Annie replied, "Yes, Daddy." She shook her head slowly and held her finger up over her lips.

They waited for Amanda before entering. "Are you ready to meet the new Littles?" Oakley asked her as he grasped the handle.

"I am," Amanda smiled. "My first grandbabies."

Annie stomped and pulled on the hem of her dress. "Umm..."

Amanda laughed. "I know, Annie, you're my first grand, but I didn't meet you when you were a baby," she explained. "But I love you to the moon, okay."

"Okay," Annie answered with a renewed smile. "Now, shhhhh."

Emily was lying in the bed, but awake when the trio entered. The room was darker than the hallway they came in from, the lights muted for the sensitive newborn eyes, and everything was decorated in pastels. She looked tired - her eyes were red, sunken with fatigue, her hair a mess, her hospital gown disheveled - but she looked happy. The babies were cradles, one on either side of her, in the crooks of her arms, swaddled in pink and blue striped receiving blankets, their little heads capped with knit hats, one in blue and one in pink. She smiled upon seeing her family. "Oakley, Annie, Mum!" 

Annie was the first to her side, nearly forgetting her pledge of quietness as she opened her mouth to squeal, "They're so cute!" Right after the infraction, the babies squirmed and her eyes widened. She clamped her hands over her mouth and said a muffled, "Sorry."

"It's okay, Sweetheart," Emily chuckled. "They're not asleep."

Oakley leaned down and gave her a kiss. "Darling," he gushed, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Emily answered. "Would you like to hold one of them? How about you, Mum?"

"I want to!" Annie interrupted. "I wanna hold one!"

Reaching down to take the blue-hatted bundle, Oakley replied, "Alright, Princess, but you've got to have some help with it. You're not so big yourself."

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm five," she argued.

They couldn't help but laugh at her answer. "Annie, honey," Amanda soothed, "You can sit with me and hold him, alright?"

Annie scrambled to the small love seat on the far side of the room and climbed up, patting the seat next to her as she settled herself in. "Okay, I'm ready," she announced.

Oakley's eyes trailed from his little girl sitting in wait to the bundle in his arms and he teared up. The baby's hands were curled into tiny knots that were gathered just below his chin, his round face still had a reddish hue, his big blue liquid eyes wide open. "Are you ready to meet your baby brother?" he asked as he stepped over to Annie.

"Yes!" she answered, holding her arms out. "I'll hold him just like Auntie Ellie taught me to with Princess Teddybear."

"That's good," he chuckled as he bent down and maneuvered the baby into her waiting arms. "Now, make sure you keep his little head on your elbow." He was hesitant to fully let go of the baby until Amanda sat down on Annie's other side. "Annie, I want you to meet Charlie." 

"He's adorable," Amanda gushed. "What's his full name?" She reached over to nudge her finger into his scrunched fist.

"Charles Alexander," he replied. "And we named the other little Bethany Marie, Bea for short." He and Emily had waited for this moment to announce the babies' names. Amanda and Annie were the first to know.

"Can I hold Bea?" Annie asked as she relinquished her brother to his grandmother's waiting arms.

Oakley smiled. "You were so good with baby Charlie, of course you can, Princess." He stood back up and went back over to Emily's side, picking up the other little bundle. "Hello, little girl," he cooed as the baby sighed. "Are you ready to meet your big sister?" He walked back to Annie and set the baby in her arms the same way she'd held her brother.

"Hello, Bea," Annie giggled. "We're going to be best friends." She looked up at Emily. "Mommy, can I dress them up like my dollies?" she asked loudly, startling the infant in her arms. "Sorry, Darling," she apologized to the bundle.

In between giggles, Emily answered, "Not quite, Sweetheart. But I'll tell you what, I'll let you help me dress them by picking out their outfits. Will that be alright?"

"Yes," Annie replied, then, under her breath mumbled, "Babies should be more fun."

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Oakley announced, "I need some photos of all of you." He instructed Amanda to lean in closer and she held Charlie closer to Annie. There was a photo of them smiling at the camera, then looking at the babies, then just Annie and the babies - cropped tightly with Amanda still helping - then one with Amanda holding both babies.

Once Oakley was done with his photos, Amanda said, "Now, it's your turn." She stood up with the babies and handed them one by one to him, taking the phone from him in between. "Now, let's start with you, proud Papa." 

Oakley cuddled his babies, sure the smile on his face was the largest smile he'd ever donned. He felt such a surge of love for the two tiny beings, one he'd never had the pleasure of with Annie, since she was already a toddler when he'd met her. Of course, he loved her, it was just different with the twins. She was his Princess, the center of his world, and now that center had expanded. "I'm so happy to have you here, my Littles," he cooed as he stepped closer to Emily. "I think we need a family photo," he told Amanda.

"Annie, Sweetheart," Emily called, "Come sit next to Mummy."

The little girl hopped off the love seat and climbed up a chair onto Emily's hospital bed. She nuzzled up to Emily's side. "I love you, Mummy," she sing-songed. "And I love my Daddy and I love my Babies and I love my Grammy and I love Princess Teddybear and..." her voice got softer and trailed off as Amanda caught her attention.

"Now, everyone, smile!" Amanda urged before she took the photo. She got Oakley and Emily gazing at each other, the babies with typical newborn-on-the-verge-of-fussy expressions and Annie with a cheesy grin. It was perfect.

Baby Charlie started whimpering and was followed by his twin sister. "It sounds like it's lunch time," Emily said as she reached to take them from Oakley.

"I'll take that as our cue to go," Oakley said. He helped Annie off the bed once his arms were empty. He gave Emily another kiss. "I love you, Babe," he mumbled against her lips.

Emily closed her eyes and leaned against him as best as she could. "I'll see you tonight," she whispered as she kissed his cheek. It seemed like so long between their visit and when Oakley would return for the night. Annie was set to stay the night at John and Ellie's so her parents could get used to caring for the babies.

"I'm hungry, too," Annie announced as she ran for the door and reached for the handle.

He stopped her from opening it. "Now, hold your horses," he warned, "There's no going out there by yourself." He picked her up and swung her so she was piggybacked on him.

Amanda gave her daughter and grandbabies a kiss and then followed them out the door. Once the door was closed, she asked, "When do they get to come home?"

"Well," Oakley took a deep breath, "The doctor says they should all be able to come home tomorrow. There's just some tests that need to be done on account of their coming a little early." He turned to see Amanda's concerned face and continued. "It's nothing to be worried about. They're eating and breathing just fine."

The three of them went down to the hospital cafeteria to get lunch, then parted ways. Amanda went home, Oakley and Annie had other plans. 

He felt it might be the last time it was just the two of them for a long time and he was determined to make it worth it. They visited the park and bought sweets from a vendor who was strolling through with his cart, Annie fed the ducks in the pond and begged him for a balloon, which he promptly spoiled her with. The sun was shining, the weather warm - it was perfect. 

Just as he had tucked the sleepy girl into her seat in the car and began pulling out of the park, his phone rang. "Hello?" he answered as quietly as he could.

"Oakley, please come back to the hospital!" Emily was on the other end and she sounded like she was on the verge of panic. Without giving him a word to respond, she added, "You'll see when you get here," and hung up.

Worried, he turned the car around at the nearest opportunity and drove back towards the hospital. He hoped his imagination was worse than reality. All he could think of was that something happened with Emily, or with one of the babies, or both of them. His heart raced as he sat in traffic, his impatience boiling to a head as he let his temper flare. "Come on, you fucker, drive!" he yelled as he smacked his hand against the steering wheel.

Annie stirred in the back seat. "Daddy," she said, her voice clouded with sleep, "Where are we going?"

"Don't worry about it , Princess," he said, trying his damnedest to calm down so she wouldn't worry. "We're going back to the hospital. I'm having Auntie Ellie and Uncle John meet us there." He glanced in the rear view mirror, watching for her to fall back asleep and took a deep breath once her eyes closed, the rhythm of her own breath deepening. Once she was sleeping again, he called John and arranged for them to meet him. Deep in the back of his mind, there was still the worry that something was going to happen to disrupt the idyllic life they envisioned. He tried to push it away, but the doubt continued. Even after all they'd been through, he was still afraid it would all be taken away, especially now that they had the babies.

John and Ellie were already parked at the hospital when Oakley and Annie arrived. "Thanks for getting here so quickly," Oakley said as he lifted the sleeping form of Annie from her seat. "I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Ellie said as she laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She took Annie from him and added, "You need to take care of Emily and those babies."

He nodded. "Would you like to know their names?"

"Of course," she smiled.

He told her, as though the revelation of their names to someone outside their family was enough to cement their existence, to give him the confidence that nothing bad would happen to them. "I hope you'll get to meet them, soon," he said, finally. 

"Oak," John said, clasping his shoulder, "Go up there, be strong for whatever it is. Don't you worry about a thing here."

Oakley gave Annie a kiss on the cheek, "Sweet dreams, Princess," he whispered before walking to the hospital doors. He turned around and directed a punctuated wave towards the trio. "Thank you, John, Ellie." Without waiting for their response, he disappeared through the glass doors.

Once he was in the hospital building, Oakley sprinted to the bank of elevators. He nearly gave up on them and took a step towards the stairwell when one lift finally opened. The wait for the correct floor was excruciating, even though, in his mind, he knew it only took a few seconds, but every bit of time they took was time he wasn't with his family. A nurse tried to stop him as he sprinted past the desk, but he ignored her and made a beeline for Emily's room. He threw open the door, expecting the worst, that something had happened to one of the babies, or that something had happened to Emily. What he found was much, much worse. 

Standing at the foot of Emily's bed, she turned around, a cold smile curling the corners of her mouth. "Oakley!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up to the point of near excitement. 

"Hello, Mum," he grumbled.


	38. Chapter 38

Gillian sat outside the Emily's hospital room. She could hear Oakley and Emily discussing her reappearance, their tones reaching a fevered height before dropping to a low hush. It was something she should've expected and deep-down, she did. They'd told her in no uncertain terms to get out and stay out, but the moment she saw the evening news story about twins born on the expressway, she'd headed to the hospital, knowing in her gut it was them. It was the long-buried maternal instinct in her that drove her to seek them out, not that she expected Oakley to believe her when and if he finally gave her the chance to explain.

Shortly after Oakley arrived, Annie in tow, Amanda had come to retrieve her and take her home. Annie was grumpy and scowled when she saw her Granny Gilly. Amanda did her best to wrangle the girl, but not before Gillian's attempt at hugging her resulted in a kicked shin and a scream of complete horror that blasted from the little girl's lungs like water from a hose. Gillian's icy comment about bedtime was not received well and, after Annie and Amanda left, she was relegated to the chair in the hallway.

The door cracked open and Oakley's voice called to her. "Mum, would you please come in?" he invited.

She stood and stretched her legs, trying to rid herself of the pins and needles that were beginning to form. There was an impudent air about her as she opened the door the rest of the way and walked past him, though she didn't mean to be haughty - it was her natural state. "I'm sorry for just showing up..." she began.

Oakley held his hand up and interrupted her. "Mum, you're never sorry for anything you do, and that's the problem." He cast a glance at Emily, who nodded her head and pursed her lips - it was an obvious deference to their discussion that he was to be the one to deal with his own mother.

Emily hadn't washed her hands of the situation, at least not completely. She was nearly done with it all, though. In the time between her call to Oakley and his arrival, she and Gillian had hashed out their differences and come to an understanding. While she was willing to let Gillian get to know her grandchildren, she was not willing to have Gillian live with them. Emily's exact words were, "I want to feel like my house is my own and I want you to act like a guest." It was understandable, especially after everything Gillian had done in her previous residence with them.

Once Oakley arrived, he, of course, agreed with his wife. Their closed-door discussion had regarded the parameters of allowance they were giving Gillian and, despite the part that sounded vaguely like a heated argument, they were in agreement about a majority of the items debated. "Now, Mum," he continued, "Em and I have a few rules we're setting forth." He paused and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, taking a deep breath and giving himself a moment to gauge Gillian's mood. "We don't want you to live with us. When you did, you treated us like staff - ALL of us - and we didn't appreciate feeling like that in our own home." 

"Alright," Gillian answered. "What else?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and glanced at the babies, asleep in their bassinet next to Emily's bed.

"You're not allowed to say anything about our parenting, nor are you to correct our children for acting like children." He pursed his lips and gave her a rigid stare. "That includes your hyper-critical views of Annie. She's been through a lot in her short life and she doesn't deserve your judgement."

Gillian nodded. "I'll do my best, but what if..."

"There are no 'What ifs,'" Emily sighed. "Annaliese is a wonderful little girl and I'm sure that when the babies are her age, they will be as well. As much as it may pain you to admit it, Oakley is a wonderful father and husband, despite the horrible examples he had." 

Oakley cleared his throat. "Mum, can you abide by these rules?" 

"Yes," Gillian answered after a brief silence. "I just don't want to miss my grandbabies."

He smiled. "In that case, meet the Littles." He reached into the bassinet and scooped up Bea in her pink bundle. She was asleep and squirmed for a moment with a tiny squeak, but settled into his arms with a yawn. "This is Bea," he whispered as he transferred her to Gillian's arms. 

"I don't think you were ever this small," Gillian smiled. "She's just a little bean." She looked up at Oakley, then to Emily. "She's just gorgeous."

Oakley picked up Charlie and cradled him. He carried the baby to Gillian and said, "This is Charlie." 

"He looks just like you!" Gillian gushed. "Right down to that little nose."

The doctor's entrance into the room cut the visit short because the babies were due for blood draws and weight checks. Gillian left the little family by themselves as Bea and Charlie were set down, unwrapped, and began squalling. She was happy she'd at lest had the opportunity to see them.

The next morning found Oakley, Annie and Amanda running around in a tizzy, their routine upended by the need to bring the rest of the family home from the hospital. Oakley tried to remember what he needed, Amanda tried to make a list to help him and Annie tried to help them all by attempting toast all by herself for the first time. Neither of the adults, however, realized it until the kitchen was filled with an acrid smoke and the fire alarm went off. Oakley's first reaction was to scream her name into the haze as he felt his heart stop. Afterwards, it was a breathless, "Annie! Oh my God! Princess, where are you?" as he prepared to delve into it.

Coughing, Annie emerged from the kitchen door just as Oakley stepped in. She had a Princess plate stacked high with black bricks of crumby bread. "Look, Daddy," she grinned, "I made toast."

Oakley let out the breath he'd been holding and gathered her up in his arms, careful not to make her spill the breakfast she was so proud of. "Annaliese," he sighed, "Thank you for the toast, but what did I tell you about the toaster?"

Annie gave him a sheepish smirk and mumbled, "To leave it alone and ask and adult." She squirmed from his arms, still managing to keep her plate intact, and ran to Amanda. "Grammy, look," she announced as though she hadn't been rebuffed, "I made toast!"

Amanda shot Oakley a look of astonishment, her mouth forming an O as she began laughing. "I can see that, Annie, dear," she replied between giggles. "It looks... interesting." She took the plate from the little girl as she gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Perhaps we should stop and grab a proper English on our way to pick up your mum and the littles."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Oakley smiled. "Your Gram, she has hit the nail on the head." One look at Annie's face transformed into a pout and he was putty. "Now, I'm sure your toast is delicious, but I'm hungry enough to eat a lion," he said as he patted his stomach. "I think I'll need more than that."

"But, you'll eat it, right?" Annie asked in a tiny voice.

Oakley nodded, flinching slightly as he Amanda handed him one of the slices. "Go on, Daddy," she urged, "Have some toast."

"You need your share, too," he returned as he held the sooty brick up to his lips and felt his teeth glance off as he took a bite.

Annie grabbed her own and eagerly bit into it. "Yuck!" she exclaimed, dropping it on the floor. "That tastes like dirt."

Laughing harder, Amanda doubled over, dropping the plate with the rest of the toast on the floor. "I'm sorry," she groaned, "I'm sorry."

After the toast was picked up and thrown in the waste bin, the kitchen was properly aired out, and the laughter subsided, the three of them made one final pass of Amanda's list. Everything they needed was in their two cars - Amanda would be taking Annie, Oakley had his car set up to bring Emily and the babies home. Amanda followed Oakley as he pulled away from the house and drove towards the main road. They drove halfway to the hospital before they stopped to eat and, as they got out of the cars, Annie announced she had a rumbly tummy. She also told the hostess, much to her own amusement.

Once they got to the hospital, they found that Emily and the babies were ready to go. The babies were in their car seats and held by two nurses, Emily was dressed in yoga pants and a t-shirt and sitting in a wheel chair. Annie ran to her and sat in her lap, careful to heed Oakley's warnings about gentleness while her mum recuperated. He couldn't help but smile as he handed his phone to Amanda. "Would you mind taking a picture of us before we leave?" he asked.

"I'd love to," she said. She framed it as Oakley held up the car seats, took it when Oakley, Emily and Annie were smiling. "Beautiful."


	39. Chapter 39

The cry cut through the thick velvet of night as sure as any knife. Emily's eyes opened and she rolled to see Oakley still sleeping soundly next to her. She smiled as she nudged her elbow into his rib cage. "It's your turn," she mumbled.

He groaned, but threw the covers back and sat up on the side of the bed without protest. It was his turn. They'd agreed long before the babies were born that they'd take turns with the middle of the night needs. Emily was up two hours previous with the feedings, so, presumably, Oakley was on diaper duty. He stood up and slid his slippers on his feet, then reached over and pulled the blankets back over Emily's bare shoulders. She snuggled into them with a sigh that made him smile.

The house was dark and silent except for the single infant howl. Instinctively, Oakley knew the cry belonged to Charlie, his voice gruffer than that of his sister. As he passed Annie's room, he peeked in. She was asleep with Princess Teddybear clutched in the crook of her arm. He was hit with how big she was beginning to get. Her doll looked so much smaller in her arms as she slept than it had when he first picked her up from her grandmother. It felt like ages had passed. Bea's cry adding to Charlie's tore Oakley from Annie's door and he continued down the hallway to the nursery and opened the door.

The twins spent their first four months in the matching bassinets in Oakley and Emily's room, but they'd been moved to their own recently. The last two weeks were hard. They were so used to the immediacy of getting picked up and coddled in their parents' room that the delay between first cry and actual snuggle sent them red-faced into infantile hysterics. They were flailing in their crib - co-habitating because Emily felt it was cruel to separate them until they were old enough to roll into each other. Tiny fingers were splayed, little arms and chubby legs wiggling and kicking.

"Hi, Littles," Oakley cooed as he leaned into the crib and scooped up Bea, who was closest to him. He cradled her with his elbow, pinning her expertly to his side as he leaned in and pulled Charlie out of the crib with his other arm. Once they were both in his arms, they quieted down. "Oh, look at you Littles. Sopping wet, I bet." His hands patted their bottoms for the telltale squish of wet diapers and shook his head as he felt the mush. "Looks like a little cleanup is in order." Carrying them to the changing table on the other side of the room, he laid them down. Charlie was first up. "Let's see what you have for me, Little Man," Oakley said as he unsnapped the baby's choo-choo train onesie. Charlie's diaper was only wet and with a quick swab of a baby wipe pulled from the warmer Emily'd insisted on having, a few fastenings of scratchy velcro, and the click of small snaps, he was done. "Now, let's see what you have, Little Lady," he chuckled, turning his attention to Bea. She was also only wet, but required a little more attention, only due to the occurrence of a rash that Emily seemed unconcerned with. He spread some diaper rash cream on the angry redness, diapered her back up and took the two of them to the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery.

When Oakley first had to sit down with the babies, he was sure he was going to bobble them and drop one of them. He handled them like fine china. As he got used to their squishy little bodies in his arms, he relaxed and cuddled them against him, sinking into the chair with one baby in each arm, settling them so they were each cradled, heads supported, and able to drift back into sleep. The soft moonlight that filtered through the gauzy curtains shines on their faces, accentuating each and every little chubby curve. Bea looked like a carbon copy of Emily's baby photos, at least the ones he'd been able to convince her to show. Whenever Amanda dragged the family album out to show Annie, Emily kept a guarded eye out and was picky with which photos Oakley was shown. She'd never seemed vain, but she preferred to keep the embarrassing moments under wraps. Charlie, on the other hand, shared characteristics with both his parents and was a perfect blend of Oakley's curls and Emily's green eyes. He couldn't help but smile while looking at the sleeping forms of his babies.

The door creaked open as Oakley rocked and he didn't notice until tiny feet tiptoed across the wood floor and Annie stood before him. Her pink Disney princess nightgown was disheveled, hanging off one shoulder because she'd insisted on getting it, even though it was three sizes too big. They'd acquiesced because she'd grow into it. She held Princess Teddybear's well-loved body by one leg, the doll's matted hair resting on the floor next to Annie's foot. The sight of the doll made Oakley smile - it held the memories of so many happy times and heartbreaks and bore the scars to remind them all. Annie's curls were wild, standing out from her head with complete abandon, in every direction possible. Her level of sleepiness was evidenced by the rosy cheeks. "Daddy," she said, her voice cracking slightly from sleep, "Are the babies alright?" She was such a good big sister, always willing to help, worrying about her little siblings almost as much as Oakley and Emily did. 

"Shhh," Oakley hushed, "They're fine. Going back to sleep, now."

Annie nodded and in a whisper, asked, "Were they scared?" While she wasn't fazed by the loss of Dina, nor her maternal grandmother, because she was so young at the times they'd passed, Gillian's sudden and violent death disturbed Annie. In the two months following the event, she'd often awakened with night terrors, certain that the same thing would happen to her. Oakley and Emily wanted to shield her from the details, and meant to guard it closely, but Annie'd overheard a conversation with a police detective one day and what she heard sent her into a panic. It was a reaction made worse by the fact that they still had not found the man responsible for her murder. Annie was convinced he would come for her because she was the last person Gillian spoke to before it happened. It was a silly, childish superstition, but it held a great hold on her. "I was scared," she whispered before taking a deep breath.

He could see the fear in his daughter's eyes and his heart broke, not only for Annie's pain, but because, at her age, she'd already been through so much. "No, they just had wet nappies," he assured. "Nothing is going to happen to you Littles."

"Not even the bad man that hurt Granny Gilly?" She began to wring the foot of Princess Teddybear in her little hands, turning her knuckles white in the process. 

Oakley shook his head. "The police will find him." He sighed. "Besides, Granny Gilly also did some bad things. You are a sweet little girl. No one will hurt you."

Annie seemed only a tad less worried, but she nodded her head and smirked to reassure her father. "Daddy," she asked, "Will you read me a story?"

He motioned towards the high bookshelf in the corner. "If you hold it for me," he smiled. "My hands are a bit full."

With a giggle, Annie bolted to the shelf and eased one of the hard-covered children's books from the shelf that was her height. "The Princess and the Pea," she announced as she set the book down on a soft ottoman and scooted it into the space between Oakley's feet.

"Of course!" Oakley rolled his eyes and smiled. 

She picked up the book and sat down on the ottoman, holding it open so Oakley could see the large print in the dim light. "Once upon a time..." she began.

"Yes," he replied, "Once upon a time, there was a kingdom..."

Emily awoke with a start, her hand flying to Oakley's side of the bed. It was empty, the blankets thrown back and the sheet cool. He hadn't returned to the bed after tending the babies. A bolt of worry shot through her as she sat up and threw the covers off herself. She swung her feet over the side and grabbed her robe that was rumpled on the floor by her feet. As she put it on, she listened, hoping to hear Oakley's voice, one of the babies, Annie, anything, but there was only silence punctuated only by the creak of the house settling in the cool night air. She stood and crept to the open door. "Oakley?" she called, her voice soft, but carrying through the empty hallway. It was dark as she stepped out, the velvet blackness enveloping her. She could only see a sliver of light from under the nursery door that drew her attention. With a chuckle, she made her way towards it. 

The door was slightly ajar and through the crack, she could only see the moonlight. As she pushed it open more, the silhouettes of Oakley, the twins, and Annie came into view and she could hear the soft cadences of their breathing, deep, low, punctuated by a sigh and a whimper and then a soft snore. A book lay on the floor by Oakley's feet, dropped face-down with its spine in the air. Annie was on the small ottoman, sitting but leaned forward with her head on Oakley's lap, Princess Teddybear clutched in the crook of her arm. Oakley's head was leaned back against the headrest of the rocker, his nose in the air, his mouth open, his eyes closed, and he held the sleeping babies, one in each arm, cuddled into him. 

Her heart soared and she smiled. Emily didn't want to wake them up. She leaned against the door frame and gazed at her sleeping family in an attempt to burn the image into her memory forever. This was her Heaven. This was how it was meant to be. This was perfect.

 

~The End~


End file.
